Sixers’ Brett Brown expects Ben Simmons to garner his second straight NBA All-Star selection
Brown also expects Matisse Thybulle to be selected to play in the Rising Stars game.
Brett Brown expects 76ers point guard Ben Simmons to be selected as an NBA All-Star reserve for the second consecutive season. The coach also thinks one of Simmons’ teammates also deserves strong consideration.
The reserves for the All-Star Game will be announced Thursday night for the Feb 16 game at the United Center in Chicago. Joel Embiid was named All-Star starter for the third consecutive time last Thursday.
“I can’t imagine Ben Simmons [being left out of All-Star Game],” Brown said. "I mean look at what Ben Simmons has done. I think Tobias [Harris] -- like really if our record was better, that probably would be a no-brainer, too. Look at the year he has had.
“He deserves to be talked about in this conversation.”
The Sixers headed into Tuesday night’s contest against the Golden State Warriors with a 30-17 record. They were tied with the Indiana Pacers for fifth place in the Eastern Conference.
Harris was averaging 19.5 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists. Simmons averaged 16.3 points, 7.9 rebounds, an NBA fifth-best 8.4 assists, and league-leading 2.2 steals.
Rising Stars
Brown also thinks that Matisse Thybulle deserves to play in the Rising Stars game. The rosters for that contest will be announced at noon Friday.
“How can he not?" Brown asked. "I mean really. How can he not? He played incredible basketball. He’s started the last four games [before Tuesday]. Just connect the dots to when he play someone tells me x-amount of minutes to what are record is. ... So I don’t think he will have much trouble getting in that game.”
The team is 8-1 when Thybulle starts and 18-4 when he plays at least 20 minutes.
The Feb. 14 game, which kicks off the NBA All-Star Weekend, will pit 10 first- and second-year NBA players from the United States against 10 first- and second-year international players.