The Philadelphia 76ers appeared to be a team that had it all sorted out on paper: 2 NBA All Stars in Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, playoff success for the past 5 years, the top seed during the 2020-2021 NBA Playoffs, and a city cheering them on every step of the way. The NBA championship seemed to be within the 76ers’ grasp as many believed that the 76ers would quickly dispatch of the Atlanta Hawks and go the distance if they managed to maintain their regular season form against the Milwaukee Bucks (the eventual 2021 NBA Champions).
Instead of hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy, the 76ers bowed out in the Eastern Conference semifinals as they were defeated by the Atlanta Hawks, a team that made their first playoff appearance since 2017, in seven games in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals. Instead of taking a 3-1 stranglehold on the playoff series, the 76ers blew an 18-point lead in Game 4 and a 26-point lead in Game 5 with the team only fighting back in Game 6 to ultimately lose the series in Game 7 on home court. Disappointment is an understatement: 76ers fans let their team have it by booing their team off the court after yet another year of regular season success, an MVP calibre performance from Joel Embiid, and playoff disappointment. The 2021 NBA playoffs marked only the second year since 1973 where neither No. 1 seeds made the conference finals as the West’s No.1 seed Utah Jazz was eliminated by the Clippers.
Now, it isn’t logical to blame playoff losses on one man as basketball is a team sport where the team’s performance as a whole matter for playoff success. However, Ben Simmons makes a strong case of being the man that blew his team’s chances of winning the playoff series as he became the worst free-throw shooter in NBA playoff history with at least 70 attempts (34.2%). As the team’s star point guard, Simmons did not attempt a single shot in the final quarter in five out of the seven games in the semi-finals and averaged 9.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 8.6 assists per game against the Hawks. Most notably, he had refused to take an open dunk late in Game 7 that would have kept the 76ers in the game. Instead, he passe the ball to Matisse Thybulle who was fouled and only made one free throw. The Sixers never regained the lead. Simmons’ performance appeared to have led his team to lose faith in him with Embiid most notably referencing Simmons’ pass to Thybulle as the turning point where the 76ers lost momentum to win the series.
Calls to trade Simmons began almost immediately after the series as the 76ers asked Simmons to address his shooting flaws, something that Ben Simmons has not improved on since his rookie season when he shot 54.5% in field goals and 56% in free throw attempts. Although Simmons said that he loved being in Philadelphia, that appeared to change as he publicly stated that he will refuse to report for the opening of training camp with the intent to never play another game for the 76ers. While the 76ers have discussed trading Simmons with teams during the off-season, teams were either hesitant to take the troubled point guard or extended offers that would not either maintain or improve the 76ers’ performance. The standoff presents a conundrum for management: increase Simmons’ salary to convince him to play for the 76ers, find a suitable trade, fine Simmons for failing to suspend Simmons for failing to render services. The increasing frustration between Simmons and the front office would make a return unlikely and with the 76ers needing to maximize Embiid’s prime, the front office must act quickly to resolve this situation.
As we move forward towards the beginning of the NBA season, all eyes will turn towards the 76ers to see what they will do with Ben Simmons. Will they trade him for another All-Star, or will they try to convince him to return to the 76ers? Will Ben Simmons play basketball this year or would he be willing to miss games and face a massive loss of income from fines and suspensions for missing games? Simmons is only in his second year of a five year, $177.2 million contract and with no team willing to take the troubled point guard so far, the 76ers are heading towards uncertain territory with their star point guard. For now, we will only be able to sit back and watch the chaos unfold.