The 76ers narrowly avoided disaster on Friday, beating the Hawks in Game 6 to save their season.
And while Game 7 is set to be a hard-fought affair, the play of Ben Simmons may be an even bigger concern for the franchise right now.
Though Philly did walk away with the win, Ben did not have a particularly inspiring performance. Dropping just 6 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists on 33% shooting, it’s fair to say that fans expect better, even despite the fact that the star was dealing with foul trouble all night long.
Naturally, Twitter got on his case for it…
Ben Simmons when that direct deposit still hits pic.twitter.com/qTU7eZpr1A
— Mike Golic Jr (@mikegolicjr) June 19, 2021
Ben Simmons, Kyle Kuzma and Kristaps Porzingis on the Shanghai Sharks next year. pic.twitter.com/PQwM5Ki6r5
— Jude Mineff (@sixjude) June 19, 2021
DAWG they rushed Simmons off the floor like a president during active shooter scenarios.
— Hacksaw Stim Duggan (@DanteLaSoul) June 19, 2021
https://twitter.com/makreljaxon/status/1406065086503034881
Ben Simmons is an Anime character that was introduced early in the story who was supposed to be the rival who grows more & more powerful but just turns into a support character who has to sit & watch the actual top characters that blew by his power level(Trae/Embiid) fight it out
— MMMMMM OK 🇵🇸 (@Sprint76767) June 19, 2021
If Ben Simmons pulled up from 30 feet I think multiple people in the arena would pass out
— Trill Withers (@TylerIAm) June 19, 2021
https://twitter.com/DavisDROY/status/1406072399284609025
Ben Simmons from the free throw line pic.twitter.com/QUAVd7SelK
— 🆗🆒 (@highkeybased) June 19, 2021
Ben Simmons watching Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris, and Seth Curry be able to touch the ball in the 4th quarter of close games pic.twitter.com/UTlZWuck9j
— Yu (@YucciMane) June 19, 2021
https://twitter.com/Real_AD_BURNER/status/1406071243812577281
The fact is, Ben Simmons just hasn’t shown up in this postseason and it could cost his team a chance at the title.
For years, the guy has struggled to shoot from beyond a few feet under the rim, and that liability has only gotten worse over the span of years.
Whether or not the Sixers win Game 7, Ben will have to get back in the lab and develop a jumper At 24-years-old, with four seasons under his belt, it’s certainly not too late for him to make a leap.
But, for the Sixers’ sake, it better happen sooner rather than later.
