There are a lot of hurt feelings in the Memphis Grizzlies’ camp following the team’s soul-crushing 61-point loss to the Charlotte Hornets last Thursday. Two days before that, however, Philadelphia 76ers rookie Ben Simmons was the one torturing the Grizzlies’ morale, as he nearly notched a triple-double in a 119-105 cakewalk home win over the Grizzlies.
Against the Grizzlies, Simmons scored 15 points, dished out nine assists, and pulled down seven rebounds in 25 minutes of duty on the floor. That sweet stat line was not the most savage thing Simmons did in that game, though. Just ask Memphis power forward Jarell Martin, who was on the receiving end of some nasty trash talk from Ben Simmons.
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Article Continues BelowSure, Simmons is just a greenhorn in the NBA, but if he could learn a way to collect 10 triple-doubles in his first year in a league, then it’s not that much of a surprise that Simmons has already mastered the art of talking junk to opponents on the court.
Simmons is averaging 16.0 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 7.9 assists in his rookie NBA season, and he is definitely going to improve even more in the coming years. That’s a scary thought for the rest of the league. Along with Joel Embiid, Simmons has done a terrific job of leading the Sixers to its first winning season in years and a likely spot in the playoffs.
The Sixers, who currently owns a 42-30 record, will take a rest Sunday before getting back on the court for a home game against the visiting Denver Nuggets this Monday.