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Everything was looking up for the Philadelphia 76ers before the playoffs started. They had a talented roster, a championship-caliber coach in Doc Rivers, and finished the regular season as the East’s top seed. What many didn’t expect was Ben Simmons totally bottoming out when it mattered.
We take a look below at how the former No. 1 pick did during this year’s playoffs and how it left a negative impact on his card value.
Ben Simmons And His Playoff Woes
A lot of card collectors expected the 76ers to make a deep and meaningful run in the playoffs. With Embiid putting on an MVP-worthy performance during the regular season and a dominant starting lineup in place, Philadelphia had a lot of things in its favor before the first-round matchup against the Washington Wizards. Well, everything except Simmons’ shooting, or lack thereof.
Lowest FT% in a single playoffs in NBA history (min 70 attempts):
34.2 — Ben Simmons in 2021
37.4 — Shaquille O’Neal in 2006
38.0 — Wilt Chamberlain in 1968Elite company. pic.twitter.com/s14R8cCSKm
— StatMuse (@statmuse) June 21, 2021
In that series, the 6-foot-11 point forward averaged 14.8 points on 64% shooting from the field and a horrible 35.7% from the foul line. Simmons compensated by defending on the perimeter and contributing 10.2 rebounds, 9.2 assists, and 1.2 steals per game in that series.
The 76ers would eventually overcome Washington and move on to face the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference Semifinal. This is where it got really ugly for Simmons.
In seven games against Atlanta, Simmons averaged 9.9 points on 60.0% shooting from the field and 33.3% from the charity stripe in 34.5 minutes per game. He essentially became a non-factor on offense, especially in fourth quarters, which greatly contributed to multiple collapses. In the end, the 76ers eventually lost the series to Trae Young and his Hawks.
https://twitter.com/dailysportshome/status/1406951270842355716
Simmons’ playoff performance, especially against the Hawks, is very worrisome. For someone who has spent four years playing in the NBA, there is no visible progress when it comes to his shooting efficiency, most notably from 3 and the free-throw line. His disappointing showing in the postseason has everyone shaking their heads in disbelief, especially those in the card community.
The State of Ben Simmons Rookie Cards
In an Instagram post by Slabstox, Simmon’s PSA 10 base Prizm rookie card has been on a steady decline since February of this year. It started out a month earlier at $360 and peaked at around the $500 level.
From there, Simmons' card value started to plummet down to $300 when April ended. Even when the 76ers eliminated Washington, his price didn’t stay up for too long. And now, after his disappointing performance against the Hawks, prices for his base Prizm rookie card are now below the $180 level.
Simmons' current state in the NBA, along with his card demand, has definitely taken a turn for the worse. This is a disheartening situation for the former Rookie of the Year after a lot of fans and critics hailed him as the second coming of Magic Johnson when he entered the league a few years ago.
There’s still hope for Simmons to bounce back and be better. The thing is, his best hope is with another franchise and not with Philadelphia. All things considered, this is the ideal time to hoard Ben Simmons rookie cards because there won’t be another opportunity for his value to go lower than where it is right now.
