Doc Rivers Says James Harden Frustrated Him More Than Ben Simmons as 76ers HC

In one fell swoop, former Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers managed to shade James Harden and Ben Simmons.

Rivers was asked Wednesday on The Dan Patrick Show whether coaching Harden or Simmons was the more frustrating experience. He settled on the former while taking a veiled dig at the latter.

There's no question the Sixers looked like a genuine title contender at their peak with Harden. Last year, he averaged 21.0 points and a league-high 10.7 assists while shooting 38.5 percent from three-point range.

Then the 2023 playoffs happened and the 10-time All-Star yet again shrank under the spotlight.

When it comes to Simmons, Rivers' comments basically echo what he said in the immediate aftermath of Philadelphia's second-round playoff exit in 2021. He famously balked when questioned whether the 6'10" playmaker could be a point guard on a championship team.

"I didn't have the frustration with Ben thinking if Ben did this we could win it" is a pretty withering assessment of a player of Simmons' stature, a No. 1 overall pick who has made three All-Star teams and earned a third-team All-NBA nod.

You're basically saying that even if the 27-year-old had been healthy and fully committed, he still wouldn't have been the guy.

In effect, Rivers seemed to argue there was a proof of concept with Harden as the second star alongside Joel Embiid, but Simmons was miscast in that role, hence why Harden leaves him lamenting more about what could've been.