Ben Simmons has already been in the league for more than 4 years. The Philadelphia 76ers originally drafted him in the 2016 NBA Draft but the Australian did not make his debut until 2017. Simmons was out during what would have been his rookie year due to a foot injury.
When Simmons made his much-awaited debut in 2017, Philly fans felt the birth of a superstar who might finally end their wait to win an NBA Championship.
Speaking of his debut, Simmons made a great debut and stuffed the stat line. In fact, he was so confident that he even made a hilarious comment about it.
Via ESPN
“It felt like I was playing 2K, honestly,” Simmons said in 2017. “Just looking at Joel Embiid out there with the lights on his jersey. I was like, ‘man, I’m actually here.'”
In his debut, Simmons had 18 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals. A perfect start, Ben continued his form throughout the season and bagged the 2017-18 NBA Rookie Of The Year award.
It couldn’t have been a better start to his NBA career. But even then, Simmons was never a great shooter and attempted only 11 three-pointers during his rookie year and failed to knock down even a single shot from beyond the arc.
Despite the obvious red flags, the 76ers placed their trust in the duo of Simmons and Joel Embiid. In all honesty, the duo was performing at a decent level for the franchise, at least in the regular season. But come playoff time, they failed to perform at the same level.
Things boiled over last season when Simmons played under par and was the primary reason for the 76ers’ elimination from the playoffs. Following that fallout, Simmons requested a trade to start a new chapter in his career.
The only thing that did was further deteriorate his relationship with the team. After causing a lot of drama, Simmons returned to the team for now. But it seems like the ship has already sailed. Just a few days ago, he got into an altercation with head coach Doc Rivers.
As a result, Simmons was thrown out of practice. With the season already underway, Simmons and the organization need to find a common footing, otherwise, it will only impact their performance as a whole unit.
