Doc Rivers Focused on Sixers Winning, Not Ben Simmons' Shooting

One player who stood out for the Philadelphia 76ers in their win over the Houston Rockets on Wednesday was Ben Simmons. Not only did he contain Rockets' guard Kevin Porter Jr., but he asserted himself on the other end of the floor as well. 

In the first quarter alone, Simmons scored double-digits. He ended with 10 points, shooting 5-8 from the floor, even attempting a fadeaway jumper in the closing moments to cap off a stellar quarter. 

With Simmons taking and making a shot outside of the painted area, it instantly became the topic of conversation. 

Since arriving in Philadelphia, Doc Rivers hasn't been one to partake in the Simmons' shooting debate. When asked about the shot on Wednesday, Rivers continued to show his lack of concern on the subject. 

"I let you guys talk about all the jump shooting. I think you guys love that. I'll let you stay on it. We'll keep winning. You guys keep talking about the jump shots," said Rivers. 

All year, Rivers has kept the focus of winning as the only thing that matters. He doesn't care how the scoring gets done or who's doing it, as long as the Sixers have the most points when the final buzzer sounds. 

While Rivers went on to say he doesn't give much focus to Simmons' shot selection, he gave a promising insight. Saying that those are the type of shots they work on with Simmons off the floor. 

"He works on everything; he really does. We're working on right and left-hand hooks, fadeaways. I just want him to keep playing. I don't worry about his shot selection right now. For the most part, he takes pretty good ones," Rivers said postgame. 

Simmons has put in a lot of time working on that part of his game this season. Before every game, he works on an assortment of post moves with assistant coach Sam Cassell. 

Growing Simmons as a post presence is something Rivers has talked about all season. If he can continue to hit shots like that around the rim, it could prove to be beneficial. 

As we know, the game tends to slow down in the postseason. Having Simmons comfortable hitting shots in the post around the rim is one way to utilize him and make him a threat in the half-court setting.  

Kevin McCormick covers the Philadelphia 76ers for South Jersey's 97.3 ESPN and Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @KevinMcCNBA.