Sixers' Doc Rivers Tells Simple Training Camp Plan for Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid

Lately, when it comes to the Philadelphia 76ers, one keyword we tend to hear often is accountability. At this point, we know the Sixers lacked it last season, and most respected veterans have revealed that much.

However, another keyword from last season that escaped us as of late is spacing. As Philly prioritized defense over everything last offseason, the personnel the Sixers trotted out on the court last year didn't do any favors for the team's two stars, Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid.

Without shooters on the floor, Simmons and Embiid struggle to find ways to score -- especially in the half-court offense. So, the Sixers' new front office made it a priority to go out and get shooters this offseason.

Now, the head coach Doc Rivers is doing everything he can to continue to surround those two stars with the personnel the front office has provided lately. On Sunday, the Sixers participated in the first team-wide practice of the offseason.

While Rivers and his team aren't going to perfect everything after one practice, the new Sixers head coach felt optimistic about what he saw following the first training camp session. And when asked about what he plans to do with Embiid and Simmons, the veteran leader kept it simple and obvious.

"[I'm putting] just a lot of shooting [around Ben and Joel]," Rivers stated following the first practice. "Literally, we have the ability to keep shooting around those two guys. And if we do that right, then Ben and Joel can play with freedom. We want them to play in space as much as possible."

Rivers wouldn't go into any specifics about who he surrounded Embiid and Simmons with on day one. But veteran guard Seth Curry mentioned he frequently played with the superstar duo in practice on Sunday.

"I was with them a lot," Curry revealed. "They put the team together to give them as much space as possible. I'm one of those guys that can hopefully take some pressure off of them by giving them space and being able to make plays here and there."

In 2019-2020, Curry drained 45-percent of his three-point shots with the Dallas Mavericks. Last season, the Sixers didn't have a single shooter who posed that kind of threat from beyond-the-arc.

Curry alone doesn't solve all of the Sixers' spacing issues. Still, Rivers intends to find all of the players who create enough space to free Embiid and Simmons up as they can be an outstanding offensive team with better spacing this season.

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

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