The Philadelphia 76ers-Ben Simmons partnership has likely reached its end. After Trusting The Process for years, it’s fair to argue that it needs to change. This year’s postseason was the best opportunity for the Sixers to make it to the NBA Finals and perhaps even win it all — only to come up short in the second round once again.
There are a ton of reasons why the Sixers failed to win a series versus the underdog Atlanta Hawks. One big reason why was the failure of Ben Simmons to perform when it mattered.
Don’t get it wrong: Simmons is an All-Star-caliber player who can pass and defend at an elite level, but his popular weakness is his inability and unwillingness to shoot. Simmons only attempted three shots in the fourth quarter in the entire conference semifinals. He was also historically bad shooting free throws in the playoffs at 34.2 percent.
Some people even believe Simmons is using his wrong hand to shoot. Despite being a left-handed shooter, Simmons tried 67 shots with his right hand, 19 shots with both his hands and nine shots using his left hand in the playoffs, according to The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor.
In short, the Sixers have a Ben Simmons problem:
This problem was on full display when Simmons missed the opportunity to take a crucial layup in crunch time that could have helped the Sixers. It was so bad that even superstar teammate Joel Embiid passively called out the 24-year-old at the end of the game:
“I’ll be honest. I thought the turning point was when we, I don’t know how to say it, when we had an open shot and we made one free throw,” said Embiid.
Unless Simmons drastically improves his offensive game, there is no chance the Sixers can come out of the Eastern Conference. It has been proven over the past couple of years and even more so this year when they couldn’t eliminate the fifth-seeded Hawks.
So, what should the Sixers do? One choice is to explore the market for a potential Simmons trade. Here’s what they can do to build Simmons’ trade value after a rough postseason.
1. Let Sixers social media do the dirty work
This is actually what some teams do to advertise their players. The Sixers’ social media team shouldn’t have a hard time garnering engagement because they’ve done quite well in the postseason (for better or worse). There are a bunch of Simmons highlights that the Sixers will capitalize on to advertise their All-Star. After all, Simmons did contribute in helping his team claim the first seed in the Eastern Conference.
Just check this out:
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) June 21, 2021
It’s fair to ask which team will want to trade for an All-Star who can’t shoot, especially during this offense-focused era in the NBA. There will be a lot of subpar teams and even contenders that could offer a trade for Simmons because they can use him differently. Most of the time, the best way to optimize a player is to put them in position to succeed instead of expecting them to do something they cannot do.
2. Let Joel Embiid pitch in
Embiid might have passively called out Simmons, but he can still back him up by hyping his teammate up on social media. That way, it’ll be fair for the public to think that their chemistry is still intact.
Embiid has backed Simmons in the past and has the ability to get his message out there:
PHILLY I LOVE YOU
Sorry to disappoint you again Just know that I gave everything I had knowing the circumstances. If there’s one thing I’ve learned being here, it’s the TOUGHNESS this city has and that’s why I played with a torn meniscus. THANK YOU FOR THE SUPPORT ALL YEAR LONG!! pic.twitter.com/CsR47xOJDZ— Joel “Troel” Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) June 21, 2021
The Embiid-Simmons on-court pairing isn’t entirely bad. They were considered contenders with both of them coexisting on one team. It’s just that their skills often overlap, especially if Simmons does not develop his offensive game. That doesn’t mean this is going to be the case for Simmons and his next team. To build a contender, it’s about fitting the right pieces in the puzzle, which the Sixers have yet to do over the past couple of years.
3. Follow the OKC Chris Paul model
What if the Sixers basically let Simmons decide where he wants to go? There are a couple of teams that might be keen on Simmons. One team is the Portland Trail Blazers, who need to find ways to build a contender around Damian Lillard ASAP. Since the Lillard-CJ McCollum duo hasn’t had enough postseason success either, who says no to a McCollum for Simmons exchange?
This is one of the few reasonable trade packages for both sides. Simmons could be the Robin for Damian Lillard, while McCollum could be Embiid’s new running mate. This is a fresh change for both teams since McCollum and Simmons bring different skills to the table.
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