Doc Rivers Wants NBA Fans to Look at Ben Simmons 'More Like Magic Johnson'

Sixers head coach Doc Rivers wants NBA fans to stop obsessing over Ben Simmons' shot and instead look at him like Magic Johnson.

When the Philadelphia 76ers drafted LSU forward Ben Simmons with the first overall pick of the 2016 NBA Draft, many believed they could be getting the next LeBron James. As Simmons had every intention of playing point guard in the NBA, he drew many comparisons to his Los Angeles Lakers superstar mentor.

But Simmons and LeBron aren't identical players. While they certainly have similarities, there are things that LeBron can do consistently, which Simmons doesn't attempt to do really at all. The three-point shot and even a mid-range jumper is something that's lacking from Simmons's game.

While he's proven every now and then that he has the ability to hit on shots from outside of the paint, the Sixers All-Star is unwilling to unleash his shot consistently. For that, he draws a lot of criticism. In the past, former Sixers head coach Brett Brown had to battle nonstop questions regarding Simmons's jumper.

Now, it's Doc Rivers' turn to hear all about it and answer questions regarding the jumper. On several occasions, Rivers has made it clear that he isn't concerned about Simmons' lack of a jumper. And as Rivers joined Danny Green's 'Inside the Green Room' podcast recently, he revisited the topic.

"It does get old at times," Rivers said in regards to the hot topic. "I think we all saw, even our own team saw, the value of Ben offensively when he missed those four games and what he brings to the table. Just because Ben doesn't shoot threes doesn't mean he doesn't create threes. He leads the league in threes created. That is scoring. Ben's ability to get in the paint, see the floor, and create mismatches every freaking night tells you how good he is."

#Sixers Doc Rivers on Ben Simmons and the narrative of him not shooting from the outside:

“Just because Ben doesn’t shoot 3s, doesn’t mean he doesn’t create them. He leads the league in 3s created.”

“Before the 3PT line was really popular, there was a guy named Magic Johnson.” pic.twitter.com/Es6QMnODt1

— Justin Persicketti (@j_persicketti) May 6, 2021

While NBA fans, players, and coaches always heard Simmons compared to LeBron James, Rivers would prefer everybody thinks about comparing Simmons to Magic Johnson, and he went on to explain exactly why.

"It's funny," Rivers continued. "Before the three-point line was really popular, there was a guy named Magic Johnson. No one cared that he didn't make threes or shoot threes! They just loved how Magic played! I wish we could look at Ben more like that than needing him to be Steph Curry. Because he's not going to be, nor could Steph be Ben. I think people put these guys in boxes, and they should put it in a winning box. Like, how does he affect winning? Ben affects winning in a big way for us."

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_ & Instagram: @JGrassoNBA.