Brett Brown Explains Why He Went Back to Ben Simmons, Says He's Rookie of Year

Philadelphia 76ers coach Brett Brown will receive criticism for playing Ben Simmons over T.J. McConnell down the stretch against the Boston Celtics in Game 2 on Thursday, but he stands by his decision.

Simmons (one point, seven assists and five rebounds) struggled in the 108-103 loss, going 0-of-4 from the field with five turnovers and a plus-minus of minus-23 in 31 minutes. Meanwhile, McConnell was 4-of-4 from the floor with five assists and two steals—and was a plus-16 in 17 minutes.

Leading 93-91 with 5:29, Simmons checked back into the game while McConnell took a seat. Boston would go on to outscore Philadelphia 17-10 the rest of the way to pull out the victory.

When asked about his decision, Brown, via NBATV, made his reasoning clear: 

Fans will go back and forth about the move. Some coaches would've stuck with the hot hand, whereas other coaches like Brown would've gone with a player who played a major role in the team's success to this point and hoped he played himself out of his struggles. After all, Simmons is the front-runner for Rookie of the Year after averaging 15.8 points, 8.2 assists and 8.1 rebounds per game during the regular season.

The series now shifts to Philadelphia with the Sixers facing a 2-0 hole.