"I want to kick all their b*tts when they're not on my team" - Doc Rivers cannot wait to face Ben Simmons, says he wants him to do well in Brooklyn

Doc Rivers and Ben Simmons of the Philadelphia 76ers

Doc Rivers was rumored to be one of the reasons why Ben Simmons wanted out of the Philadelphia 76ers last season. Rivers seemingly put Simmons under the bus after the Sixers lost to the Atlanta Hawks last year. However, the Philly coach has cleared things up, revealing his excitement to play against Simmons.

After the Sixers were eliminated by the Hawks in the 2021 Eastern Conference semifinals, Rivers made some comments regarding Simmons. The one-time champion coach pointed out postgame how the Australian star struggled from the free throw line.

"Obviously, he struggled from the free-throw line," Rivers said. "And that became a factor in this series. There's no doubt about that. I still believe in him, but we have work to do. We're going to have to get in the gym, put a lot of work in and go forward."

Some people believe those comments, along with Joel Embiid's, led to Simmons' trade request. However, Rivers explained on "The VC Show" with Vince Carter that wasn't the case. He noted that Simmons already knew he wanted to leave before Rivers had made the comments about the player.

"That one comment thing had nothing to do with why Ben wanted to leave," Rivers said. "Alright? Let me just say that. ... You work these things out. They didn't get worked out, and so, yeah, we've had one talk. Not a long, long talk, but we did have one good talk."

He added:

"We had a good talk, but the point was, he was already leaving, and I really believe, even though 99 percent of the people didn't, that we could make this work with Ben and Jo and the team because I’m built that way. That's what coaches have to do."

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Ben Simmons was eventually traded to the Brooklyn Nets at the deadline in the James Harden deal. He still has not played for the Nets due to a back injury. He underwent surgery this summer and is expected to play next season, and his former coach cannot wait to face him.

"I want the kid to do well," Rivers said. "I don't have any, like, bad feelings about him. He didn't do anything wrong to me. I just want most guys do; I really do. Now, I want to kick all their b*tts when they're not on my team. That's the competitive side of me, but as a human being, I think we all should want Ben and all these guys to do well."

Ben Simmons listed as one of most intriguing players to watch next season

Ben Simmons will be among the ten most intriguing players to watch in the 2022-23 NBA season, per CBS Sports. Simmons missed the entirety of last season, while splitting his time with the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets. He underwent surgery this offseason to relieve pain in his back.

Other players who've made the list include Zion Williamson, Jamal Murray and Kawhi Leonard. Chet Holmgren, Damian Lillard, Anthony Davis, Jaylen Brown, Anthony Edwards and James Wiseman complete the top ten.