NBA insider Keith Pompey recently offered some insight into the relationship between Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers.
Pompey explained that it sometimes seems like the Sixers are trying to “break” Simmons.
Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers continue to be in limbo with each other.
@PompeyOnSixers tells @BGeltzNBA and @SamMitchellNBA he thinks this saga will impact how future free agents look at Philadelphia as a destination. pic.twitter.com/SPEXByFqgs— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) November 27, 2021
“It just seems like every three days, or at least once a week, there’s another bomb dropping, and it makes both sides look bad to me,” Pompey said. “You got certain people out here just taking shots at him left and right to a point where he can’t come back. There’s no way in heck you can bring this guy back. It just seems like it’s become personal. Sometimes you get a sense that they want to try to break this guy.”
Simmons has still not appeared in a game this season. The three-time All-Star seemingly remains not “mentally ready” to play. It sounds like Pompey doesn’t see a scenario where the Sixers are able to bring Simmons back.
When available, Joel Embiid has done a nice job of leading the Sixers to some wins this season. Unfortunately, he has appeared in just nine contests so far, and the squad has struggled without him.
Overall, Philadelphia is 10-9 on the season. The Sixers are roughly in the middle of the pack in the Eastern Conference.
It remains to be seen how the Simmons saga will conclude. The Sixers might have a tough time contending for a title this season unless they either get Simmons back or trade him for some new talent.
Simmons remains a polarizing player from a talent perspective. He’s a triple-double threat and elite defender, but his woes as a shooter are worrisome.
