CAMDEN, N.J. — Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers and the team he led to the best record in the Eastern Conference last season put their hands together in the middle of a huddle at the end of practice and counted off, "1-2-3! Together!"
Lingering outside the huddle, holding a basketball and looking uninterested was the $147 million puzzle piece in Ben Simmons. With Simmons focused and engaged, the Sixers are again a team to beat in the East this season.
But the Sixers open the season Wednesday in New Orleans with no guarantee that Simmons will play.