Getty Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers reacts during a game against the Houston Rockets.
The bulk of the vitriol ever since June 20 has been hurled at Ben Simmons and rightfully so. The All-Star point guard has been in the NBA for five years and still doesn’t have a jumper. But not everyone is ready to pin all the blame on the dynamic Aussie.
Former Philadelphia 76ers head coach Larry Brown took a minute to remind everyone that Joel Embiid can get better this summer, too. The 2002 Hall-of-Fame inductee agreed that Simmons needs to get in the gym and commit “to being one of the best players in the league,” per The Inquirer’s Marc Narducci. But Brown wasn’t letting Embiid off the hook. The runner-up for NBA MVP has plenty to work on himself if the 7-footer truly wants to be elite.
“Just like Ben, Joel needs to work on his game,” Brown told Narducci. “He is a monster, you can’t find players like him, but if he is going to be on the court 35-38 minutes, then he has to get in unbelievable shape.”
THEY HATE THE PROCESS
Brown went 255-205 in six seasons in Philly and guided the Sixers to the 2001 NBA Finals. The North Carolina alumnus knows what he’s talking about and has never been afraid to unload his opinion. So, it was no surprise to hear Brown offer some sage advice for Simmons.
“I would tell Ben, ‘Don’t worry about failure, and worry about putting the time in and improving,’ and I am sure Doc [Rivers] is telling him that,” Brown said.
Larry Brown says he could fix Sixers in 5 minutes, calls for Allen Iverson to get involved t.co/UPoXyA5nGX
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Brown Wanted Sixers to Hire Allen Iverson
Maybe we should take Brown’s comments with a grain of salt. The championship-winning coach had been campaigning for Allen Iverson to join the Sixers’ front office back in 2015. If that had happened, “The Answer” would have been in the building to mentor both Simmons and Embiid at an early age. Iverson wanted a role in the organization and Brown thought his ability to “judge talent” would be beneficial.
“Just teach him about the organization and let him figure it out, figure out how he can help. He can certainly judge talent,” Brown told The Inquirer in 2015. “He certainly has people’s respect. Kids will listen to anything he said. He’s certainly bright as hell.”
The nay-sayers will point to Iverson’s infamous “Practice Rant” in 2002 as a non-starter. If he was unwilling to listen to hard coaching, then why would Simmons or Embiid? It’s a fair point.
Brown: ‘You Have to Develop Trust’
Brown left the Charlotte Hornets and the NBA after the 2010-11 season. He returned to the college ranks in 2012 and went 85-39 during a four-year stint at Southern Methodist before retiring for good. Now the 80-year-old sits at home critiquing his peers, sometimes getting the itch to return in a minor capacity, maybe as an assistant coach. Brown told the Boston Globe that he misses “smelling the gym every day.” And teaching young men how to play basketball.
“I just think it’s important that older coaches share their ideas,” Brown told Gary Washburn. “You have to develop a trust with these kids because of social media and the fact they are younger and people are depending on them, developing their trust is harder but you can’t get away from telling them what you think is right. You can’t be afraid to coach them.”
One interesting sidenote: Brown coached Sixers guard Shake Milton at Southern Methodist. There is no doubt he provided the front office with a lengthy scouting report on his former star player.