Article Summary:

Doc Rivers so frequently and emphatically praised Ben Simmons last season, it seemed the 76ers coach was running a deliberate campaign to boost Simmons’ confidence.

How fragile did the situation become? Simmons reportedly ignored Rivers’ calls and texts over the summer then became frustrated the 76ers coach didn’t visit him anyway.

This sounds different than when Rivers, likely in vain, was trying to coax Simmons into playing again for the 76ers. Rivers’ indirect end-of-season criticism probably hit Simmons even harder than it would have otherwise.

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