“Ben Simmons has got to go. … That city ain’t ever gonna forgive him for what they have seen. Not just that he missed shots, but he didn’t take them. … Ben Simmons is literally scared to shoot the basketball,” Stephen A. Smith said on First Take. Smith was one of many analysts to point out Simmons’ performance last night or lack thereof.
The Atlanta Hawks defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 103-96 in Game 7 advancing them to the Eastern Conference Finals. After the painful loss, the sports world and many Sixers fans took to social media to display their thoughts on the game and what went wrong with the Sixers. Ben Simmons seems to be the issue.
Being the Eastern Conference’s top regular-season seeded team, many expected the Sixers to glide through the conference finals but the complete opposite has happened. Not only did the 76ers struggle, they also blew enormous leads in Games 4 and 5 and lost in Game 7 on their home court.
Ben Simmons is a great defensive player who is able to lock onto and lock down point guards, power forwards or anyone he’s set to guard. In mid February, Simmons himself said “If you watch me, I’m typically guarding the best player… I feel like I’m the best defender in the NBA.” While Simmons has so much confidence in his defensive abilities, he lacks that same energy when it comes to his offensive skills which was extremely evident in Game 7 vs. the Hawks.
Simmons attempted only three shots in the fourth quarter in the entire series and ended Game 7 with only 5 points. His lack of confidence was highlighted when he passed up an open layup to avoid getting fouled and having to take free throws. His poor performance has even made Doc Rivers, Sixers head coach, speechless. “I don’t know the answer to that question right now,” Rivers said when asked if Simmons can be the point guard on a championship team.
Ben Simmons has to work on one very important thing in the off season. Free throws. If he’s hitting his free throws, he will be more confident and effective on the offensive end of the court. Just like he is on defense. “I need to improve on all of it… I didn’t shoot well from the line in this series. Offensively, I wasn’t there. I didn’t do enough for my teammates. It’s a lot of things I need to work on,” said Simmons. Since he realizes where he struggles, hopefully we will see an improved and more feared Ben Simmons next season. Though it is beyond question that he should not be on the 76ers next season, not because he isn’t a good basketball player but simply because it just obviously isn’t working.
Postgame Reports 