Doc Rivers ‘Completely’ Moved on From Ben Simmons

Doc Rivers didn't pay much attention to Ben Simmons' Brooklyn Nets debut.

The NBA world was curious about how Ben Simmons would look on Monday night when he debuted for the Brooklyn Nets. Although Simmons was traded to the Nets last February, mental health concerns and a back injury prevented him from taking the court all season.

Monday was Simmons’ first opportunity to take the court with his new team since last playing for the Sixers during the 2020-2021 NBA season. And Simmons went against his former team in his first preseason battle of the year.

How did he do? On the stat sheet, Simmons made three out of six shots from the field. He missed both free throws, finishing with six points in the scoring department. As always, Simmons’ playmaking skills were on point as he produced five assists. After spending 19 minutes on the floor, Simmons wrapped up the night as a minus-ten on the court.

How did Simmons do in the eyes of his former head coach, Doc Rivers? It doesn’t matter.

“I really didn’t watch him,” Rivers told SportsCenter earlier this week. “I was watching our guys, to be honest.” 

Rivers didn’t want to talk much about Simmons’ comeback. Can you blame him? After fielding hundreds of questions regarding Simmons’ holdout last season, Rivers was happy to move on from the situation when the blockbuster trade to move the three-time All-Star took place last year. 

While he was bound to talk about the former disgruntled Sixer again at some point, Rivers was too busy analyzing his own players’ games to pay attention to what his former player was doing on the other side of the ball.

Rivers wishes Simmons well with his time in Brooklyn, but the 76ers head coach makes it clear that the entire Simmons saga is in Philadelphia’s rearview.

“I want him to do well, but he’s no longer a Sixer, so I completely moved on from him,” Rivers finished. “I want the kid to do well. He did well for me. He was a Defensive Player of the Year candidate and was having a great year, but I have to worry about my own team right now, and that’s what I’m focused on.”

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.