Doc Rivers Confident Sixers' Chemistry With Ben Simmons Will Grow

Doc Rivers wasn't shocked when the Philadelphia 76ers showed up for media day, and his starting point guard Ben Simmons wasn't in attendance. The next day when

Doc Rivers wasn't shocked when the Philadelphia 76ers showed up for media day, and his starting point guard Ben Simmons wasn't in attendance. The next day when the Sixers kicked off their first training camp session, he wasn't around then either.

A couple of weeks worth of practices have gone by, and so did four preseason games. So far, the public has yet to see Ben Simmons play for the Sixers. Will it happen when the Sixers open up the regular season on Wednesday in New Orleans?

Rivers is unsure. While Simmons is back practicing with the team, the head coach mentioned that the three-time All-Star isn't necessarily in game shape following Sunday's session. 

"I don't know yet," Rivers said when asked if Simmons was going to play on Wednesday or not. "I'm gonna wait and see. You know, conditioning, I would say just watching him, I thought he was in decent shape. You know, still not obviously game shape because you can't do all of this stuff but overall, yeah."

On Monday, Rivers reiterated he wasn't exactly sure if Simmons could play on Wednesday or not. While he wasn't certain about Simmons' game status against the Pelicans, he was optimistic that the team chemistry was trending in the right direction with the disgruntled guard back in the building despite everything that's happened over the last few months.

"It'll grow," Rivers said in regards to team chemistry with Simmons in the fold. "It'll come back. I'm not that concerned right now with it. They're interchanging, it's coming, and it just takes time. Chemistry is huge, and I think overall, our chemistry is phenomenal right now, and we want to keep it growing."

As a former player who's seen teammates hold out and even a former holdout himself, Rivers' experience tells him that the aftermath from the Simmons saga will blow over in the locker room. While some players might have an issue with the way everything went down, the Sixers head coach is confident that winning will cure-all, and the chemistry will continue to grow over time. 

"You see a little bit [of awkwardness fade] one day at a time," Rivers explained. "Way more today than yesterday, and it's just gonna keep getting better. I've been in this situation before, and this is how it works."

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