'Nobody else to blame': Brutal truth emerges in Ben Simmons furore
Nothing has ever quite gone to plan for the Philadelphia 76ers, and their capitulation in game seven of the Eastern Conference semi-finals would appear to continue that trend.
Grand plans always seem to get caught on a hitch - and the Hawks stuffed the 76ers championship hopes with a 103-96 win to eliminate them from the Playoffs.
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Take when 'The Process' truly kicked into gear after the team drafted Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons in 2014 and 2015 respectively.
Instead of getting onto an NBA court and establishing a winning culture, Embiid and Simmons both missed their entire rookie seasons due to injury.
Once they got going, the Sixers front office saw fit to make a series of trades in order to help the team win - but a cruel Kawhi Leonard bounce marked the end of the Jimmy Butler era, trading for the first overall pick in 2018 to draft Markelle Fultz was a bust, and hiring Doc Rivers to replace head coach Brett Brown hasn't worked.
Now, the 76ers' next challenge is to figure out what in the world to do with Simmons, after the Australian star's horror series against the Hawks.
While Simmons came to play on defence, on offence it became clearer than ever that his game hasn't taken the necessary strides forward since his rookie season.
Still reluctant to shoot at best, his status as a non-threat when it comes to scoring seems to have gotten in his head.
Simmons averaged 9.9 points, 8.6 assists and 6.3 rebounds throughout the Hawks series, but his woeful return of just 15/45 from the free throw line will linger as a stain on is reputation until he can demonstrably improve.
Ben Simmons is doubtful to play for Australia in Tokyo Olympics, sources said. Will spend offseason working on skill development. Aussies scheduled to begin training this week in L.A.
— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) June 21, 2021
Gaze on Ben Simmons' shooting: "A percentage of it is technique, but of course there is what's going on between the ears.
"He had made strides forward but in the playoffs with the extra pressure, it got a bit wonky. I have no doubt he can turn that element around."— Garry and Tim (@SENBreakfast) June 21, 2021
"I don't know the answer to that right now."
-Doc Rivers after being asked if Ben Simmons could be a point guard on a championship team. pic.twitter.com/rw51V7rkRE— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 21, 2021
His shooting struggles, capped by a bizarre play in which he turned down an open layup in the last five minutes of game seven to pass to Matisse Thybulle in traffic, appear to have led his team to have lost some faith in him.
Embiid said after the loss that he felt the blown layup opportunity was the decisive moment of the game.
"I mean, I'll be honest. I thought the turning point was when we — I don't know how to say it — but I thought the turning point was just we had an open shot and we made one free throw and we missed the other and then they came down and scored," he said, referencing Simmons' pass to Thybulle.
Big questions linger over Ben Simmons' future with 76ers
Embiid wasn't the only prominent Sixers figure to raise questions about Simmons' future.
Head coach Doc Rivers had a telling response when asked if he believed Simmons could be a championship point guard.
"I don't know how to answer that question right now," he replied.
Calls to trade Simmons have flowed since the loss to Atlanta, with Yahoo Sports NBA expert Vincent Goodwill writing that Simmons could only blame himself for not finding a way to address the key flaws in his game.
"For things to improve, the answer is simple: The 76ers must trade Simmons if they’re as serious as they claim," he wrote.
"Jimmy Butler is gone, so is Brett Brown. There’s nobody else to blame for Simmons’ lack of development.
"It certainly looks mental — his downright reluctance on offence — and even though he’s a stellar defensive player, that can be replaced.
"If Simmons is as advertised, Embiid wouldn’t be worn down in fourth quarters because someone else could help carry the load in the first 36 minutes.
"Instead, Simmons is on the bench for the last couple minutes because playing with him on the floor is like playing four on five, and even if he does have the ball, he’s clearly not looking to do anything that could remotely result in a trip to the free-throw line."
The first port of call must be his free throws - his 34% rate for the Atlanta series is the worst ever for any player to attempt at least 70 free throws.
Second will be learning to make an impact without the ball.
He better learn fast, because his NBA days could be numbered if he doesn't.
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