The Philadelphia 76ers’ saga with Ben Simmons is getting more complicated as the days go by.
Simmons has reportedly said that he doesn’t think he can play next to Joel Embiid anymore because it hampers his game.
Nonetheless, coach Doc Rivers doesn’t believe that this is a deal-breaker. For what it’s worth, some stars have said that same thing in the past:
“This is not the first time that guys don’t think they could play together. This is basketball, so I don’t think this is an earth-shattering thing,” Rivers said, according to ClutchPoints.
Well, there aren’t many different things that Rivers could’ve said. In reality, pretty much every single thing anybody related to the Sixers organization says on Ben Simmons’ current status could only hurt his trade value even more.
Simmons is one of the most talented young players in the league. He’s an outstanding playmaker, a versatile defender who can guard one through five, but his lack of shooting has really hurt the Sixers’ chances come playoff time.
More than that, it seems like he’s not willing to embrace criticism, and the fact that Rivers and Embiid threw him under the bus after their loss in the playoffs pretty much put the last nail on the coffin on his desire to be in Philadelphia.
Simmons isn’t likely to change his mind at this point right now. He’s not willing to go back to the City of Brotherly Love, especially knowing how harsh fans will be.
His fit next to Embiid always drew some contrasting takes, mostly because he’s not a shooter at all.
Even so, it’s clear that the Sixers’ championship aspirations went through how far their young duo could lead them. And that may no longer be the case anymore.
