76ers struggle to begin the 2021-22 season

Philly started last season 7-1 and their hot start resulted in them finishing with one of the better records in the league. To begin this season, they will play four playoff teams from a year ago in their first seven games and without their full team focused in and ready to play, it is not crazy to believe that the 76ers could start the season slowly. 

All of the drama and distractions that are presented to the team and constantly having their names on the front page of articles/newspapers across the nation is mentally taxing for these players and as a result, them starting the season sluggish could force the 76ers to just trade Ben Simmons for anything they can get. 

Joel Embiid is going to enter the season as an MVP, All-NBA First Team type of player, and Tobias Harris should also be ready to go, but who else is going to step up for this team? Seth Curry is still a high-level three-point shooter, Danny Green is a key two-way veteran, but they really do not have another “X-Factor” on this team as Simmons has been over the years. 

Sure, he struggles from time to time offensively, but defensively, Ben Simmons is one of the best players in the league. What he did on the defensive end of the court last year made the 76ers a top-tier team in this league and without him, they are going to struggle initially. 

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When this happens, Daryl Morey and the 76ers’ front office are going to be torn between waiting to trade Simmons for the value they want and just trading him for whatever they can get. At some point, winning has to take precedence over a team’s long-term needs/wants, which is why losing early in the season will result in the Philadelphia 76ers trading Ben Simmons.