Sixers assistant Sam Cassell working with Ben Simmons on transforming into a multifaceted playmaker

OKLAHOMA CITY — Some folks see Sam Cassell as the cool 76ers assistant coach. He’s the hip one walking up and down the sidelines, encouraging players and giving Doc Rivers input.

But Cassell’s game-day routine begins hours before tip-off, working with and/or overseeing the Sixers guards’ pregame routines. As a three-time NBA champion with 14 seasons of playing experience, the 51-year-old is very knowledgeable.

Right now, there’s a lot of interest in his pregame workouts with Ben Simmons, especially how he’s helping with his shooting. But Rivers will tell that’s just a small portion of what Cassell is helping the two-time All-Star with.

“Sam, you give him to players, he has done a great job,” said Rivers, who brought Cassell over with him from the Clippers. “It is more than about shooting. It is his post game, his passing. How to play the unique position that he plays.

“He is not a point, not a two, not a three, he is a ballplayer. We put him in every spot on the floor, literally every spot on the floor. Having a guy like Sam explain to him what we are looking for is really what we are trying to do here.”

Furkan Korkmaz is not longer listed on the injury report.

The reserve swingman would have been available for Sunday night’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder before it was postponed due to contact tracing. That came after he missed the last 11 games with a left groin strain. The swingman was hurt during a road loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Dec. 27.

A fourth-year veteran, Korkmaz had cemented himself as one of the Sixers’ key reserves before the injury. He averaged 6.0 points, 1.0 assist, and 18.3 minutes in three games. If there was a blemish, it was his three-point shooting: Korkmaz has made just 4 of 16.

His absence created more playing time for second-year swingman Matisse Thybulle.