Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons is among potential 2020 All-Star Game reserves based on voting results announced on Thursday night. Fans, media, and players make up the voting pool equally for deciding the game’s starters. NBA coaches will select from Simmons and the other reserve player pool with those results coming out next Tuesday.
It doesn’t matter if Simmons is selected or not. He’s proven his haters wrong based on the voting results, especially the player and media categories. Among the Eastern Conference guards, media and players selected him third and fourth, respectively, while fans voted him eighth. Simmons finished seventh and is a strong reserve candidate.
It’s clear he has higher respect from his fellow peers and those who cover the game, which should carry over to the coaches as well. Simmons’ fan vote shows that his haters aren’t in the majority.
Simmons started the season off on a rough patch and he’s played better most recently especially the last few games on the court. He’s picked up the slack with Joel Embiid out of the lineup and showed he can be the team’s leader when needed.
It appears that many fans just like to criticize Simmons whenever they can. For some reason, fans grouped Simmons and his shot while watching Zion Williamson’s NBA debut. Yes, Simmons’ shot isn’t the prettiest but he clearly makes it work.
If he’s picked as a reserve, Simmons could join fellow Sixer Joel Embiid among the Eastern Conference players picked for the 2020 All-Star Game in Chicago. Both players rightfully earned the recognition.
It would be fun to watch Simmons play amongst the best. He’d get ample chances to shoot the three, causing fans to go wild.
Simmions is averaging 16.0 points, 8.5 assists, and 7.8 rebounds per game. His 57.8 shooting percentage leads the team’s regular contributors.
Simmons is a young player whose game isn’t flawless and there are some ugly nights. However, his trajectory is only trending at this point and Thursday’s All-Star Game voting results further show that. Many times this season Simmon’s impressed as he picked up his fellow Sixers, proving his haters wrong along the way.
With the Sixers 29-17 and sixth in a tightly contested Eastern Conference, Philadelphia needs his recent productivity to show moving forward. He’s earned all his awards and recognition so far this season. An impressive performance down the stretch could bring more great moments to the City of Brotherly Love and more accolades for the young forward this season.
Philadelphia fans bring the passion game in and game out. However, sometimes this passion fuels bad takes and unwarranted bashing of a team or player. As long as Simmons hustles and continues to bring his best to the court, 76ers fans need to back off. Simmons clearly earned the respect of his fellow NBA players and those in the media.
