The Ben Simmons situation with the Philadelphia 76ers has been all over the news recently, with it being a well-known fact that he wants a trade from the franchise. He has definitely been averse to suiting up for the team.
A recent report by Shams Charania of The Athletic has revealed that Ben Simmons has told Doc Rivers and his teammates that he wasn’t “mentally ready” to play and that he needs time.
Tobias Harris has recently spoken out in support of Ben Simmons and claimed that the team will “respect his privacy and space” as he figures things out. He also stated that once Ben Simmons comes back, the team will “embrace our brother with love”. It’s clear that Harris is understanding and compassionate towards what Ben Simmons is going through.
And we’ll respect his privacy and space during this time. When he’s ready, we will embrace our brother with love and handle our business on the court. That's it, that's all. https://t.co/eardjmQbz8
— τobias Harris (@tobias31) October 22, 2021
And we’ll respect his privacy and space during this time. When he’s ready, we will embrace our brother with love and handle our business on the court. That’s it, that’s all.
What we can say with certainty is this: the Philadelphia 76ers are a better team with Ben Simmons than without. They finished as the No. 1 seed last season. That was done in a conference that featured the Brooklyn Nets with three elite stars in Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving, as well as the reigning champions, the Milwaukee Bucks. While many fans may not appreciate Ben Simmons after what went on during the offseason and at the start of the regular season, it’s clear that he can help the team contend if he were to suit up.
It remains to be seen if the Philadelphia 76ers will eventually trade Ben Simmons, or whether he will end up playing for the team once again. It seems as though he has the support of the locker room though, and hopefully, we see Ben Simmons take the floor again soon, wherever that may be.
