Ben Simmons – Philadelphia 76ers

With the Philadelphia 76ers winning the 1-seed in the Eastern Conference this season and with other Eastern Conference contenders dealing with injuries, this seemed like the year that the Sixers could finally break through and make the NBA Finals. That was until they ran into the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals and Ben Simmons was M.I.A. 

In this series, Simmons averaged 9.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, 8.6 assist and 1.3 steals, which does not seem too terrible, but he only shot 33.3% from the free-throw line on 45 attempts! It got to the point where the Hawks were just playing “hack-a-Shaq” with Ben Simmons because they knew the chances of him making 0 or 1 free-throws was greater than him making both of them, giving them the advantage offensively against the 76ers. 

Ultimately, this strategy worked and it sent the Philadelphia 76ers back to Cancun to try and draw up another strategy on how to break through in the East and possibly contend for a championship. Only now, their strategy has a big red circle over Ben Simmons’ name because he is the guy on the “hot seat” this offseason. 

While he is not directly responsible for the 76ers losing in the playoffs, Ben Simmons definitely did not help the cause for the Sixers because of how bad he was offensively. He is a 7-foot guard that is great at handling the ball and making plays for others, but he just cannot score or shoot. 

READ MORE: NBA Rumors: Best trade Timberwolves could offer 76ers for Ben Simmons

This is why Philadelphia has been actively shopping him on the trade market and why it is a real possibility that he gets traded this offseason. Soon to be 25-years-old, Simmons is still young enough to where he can make adjustments to his game and improve, but the 76ers do not have time to sit around and wait for him to make a free-throw in practice. 

The 76ers are a team that should have been in the Eastern Conference Finals this year, based on stats and roster on paper, and they should be able to contend for a championship over the next few years as well. With Ben Simmons and his struggles however, it almost seems like this team is playing 4-on-5 at times offensively, which is not ideal. 

READ MORE: NBA Rumors: 3 dark-horse trade destinations for 76ers’ Ben Simmons

Believe it or not, Ben Simmons’ market right now is pretty vast and stretches from teams that are rebuilding and out of the playoff picture, to teams that are vying for championships. Players with his defensive abilities, ball-handling skills and size/athleticism do not come around everyday, which is why he still holds a lot of value. 

You know what you are getting with Simmons defensively, which is a major plus, and overtime, there is optimism that he can make strides to become a better offensive player. He is not going to develop into a three-point specialist, but getting to the rim and being a threat to score on-the-drive is all any team would want from the 3x All-Star. The only problem is that his time in Philadelphia may be running out, as they do not have time to wait around anymore.