Charles Barkley Believes Doc Rivers Hire Puts Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons Under Pressure

Dealing with superstars in the NBA can be hard for a head coach -- especially when no star is the same and sometimes they have to be coached differently. When Brett Brown was running the Philadelphia 76ers, many questioned his ability to hold guys like Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid accountable. And the result of his struggles to do so was one of the key reasons he's on the head coaching free agency market this offseason.

With Brown no longer in the picture, the Sixers are hopeful their newest hire, Doc Rivers, will come in and give the organization a different result. Rivers is no stranger to coaching superstars in the NBA. The former Los Angeles Clippers coach is well-respected around the league and has a championship-winning season on his resume.

The expectation is Rivers can get through to Simmons and Embiid in a way that Brown couldn't, but as we know, what's to be expected isn't always guaranteed. And because of that, 76ers legend Charles Barkley believes that the arrival of Doc Rivers in Philly could put tons of pressure on Embiid and Simmons to be able to hold themselves accountable when necessary moving forward.

"This is going to put a lot of pressure on Ben and Joel," Barkley said on 97.5 The Fanatic this week. "How many years have y'all been blaming everything on Brett Brown? For the last three or four years. Well, now Brett Brown is no longer here, Doc's got a great pedigree, I like Doc a lot as a person, I think he's a good coach, so now there are no more excuses for these people calling in and bashing on Brett Brown. It's gonna be on, 'Yo man, when are we gonna hold Ben and Joel accountable?'"

Accountability concerns in Philly don't just come from fans and media who are on the outside looking in. When the 2020 NBA Playoff run wrapped up in August, Sixers guard Josh Richardson was quite critical of Brett Brown as he believed there was a lack of accountability within Philly's locker room throughout the year.

76ers General Manager Elton Brand didn't exactly mirror Richardson's statement, but he did clarify that getting a coach who's not afraid to hold players accountable and be heavy-handed if need be, is a key trait in the search. Well, it seems the Sixers found their guy in Rivers. The veteran head coach's arrival doesn't get Embiid and Simmons to change -- but there's reason to have hope he can make it all work out.

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