Ben Simmons was his usual understated self when asked how many minutes he thought he could handle once the playoffs start.
“As many as I need to play,” the rookie said on Sunday after the Sixers won their 50th game and clinched home-court advantage in the first round of the postseason with a 109-97 win over the Mavericks.
Which leads to one of the more interesting questions facing Brett Brown and his coaching staff as the Sixers turn their attention toward the Eastern Conference playoffs: Just how heavily can they lean on their budding superstar in a best-of-seven series?