The Philadelphia 76ers are a disaster right now. Following back-to-back late-game collapses, they are down 3-2 to an inferior Hawks team in the second round of the playoffs.
And while the finger of blame has been pointed in all different directions, it seems fans have become really fed up with Ben Simmons, who missed more free throws than he had points.
It got so bad, a missing person flyer was spotted in the city the following morning.
Ben Simmons flyer in Philly. 😳
(via @JayWoods3) pic.twitter.com/RW12VJawtb
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) June 17, 2021
Simmons is obviously an amazing talent and one of the best defenders in basketball.
But his inability to shoot has become more than a limitation for the Sixers — it has become a liability.
Since Simmons entered the league in 2016, shooting has always been a huge problem and it hindered what he was able to do on the court. We told ourselves years ago that, with time, the star would eventually develop a reliable jumper, even if not the most consistent.
Years later, and Simmons hasn’t really made any strides in his shooting. In fact, it seems he has gotten worse, as he is on track to shoot the worst free-throw percentage in NBA history in these playoffs.
Unfortunately for Philadelphia, Simmons will never be able to become that secondary star until he can start hitting from the perimeter. It also means that the Sixers won’t be able to win a title until he adds that to his game.
It’s understandable that fans are so frustrated right now.
