It has been a whirlwind couple of weeks for Philadelphia 76ers point guard Ben Simmons, and the hits keep coming.
Stephen A. Smith gave some intel on Tuesday’s episode of ESPN’s “First Take” on the situation in Philadelphia.
"I just received a text from somebody very, very close to the situation in Philadelphia about Ben Simmons. … ‘He doesn’t work, he doesn’t listen, and everyone around him is family, and he’s constantly babied.’"
📱 @stephenasmith 🗣 pic.twitter.com/PyUXzv8Vw8
— First Take (@FirstTake) June 22, 2021
The criticism that Simmons is currently facing seems like it may never end.
He is coming off of a 2020-21 postseason in which he was arguably the biggest liability on the floor for his team. In 12 playoff games, he averaged 11.9 points, 7.9 rebounds and 8.8 assists per game.
While those numbers seem decent on the surface, he passed up countless open shots and shot 34.2 percent from the free-throw line.
The 76ers were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs by the Atlanta Hawks.
If what Smith said is true, it’s hard to imagine a way in which Simmons makes it through the upcoming offseason without being traded away from Philadelphia. The relationship between the player and the team seems to be reaching irreparable levels.
There will certainly be a trade market for the three-time All-Star, but his perceived value has surely taken a hit as of late. It will be very interesting to see which teams express interest in Simmons.
