It has been rough on the Philadelphia 76ers for the last few months. After crashing out of the playoffs in a disappointing manner the horrors have not left the Sixers camp regarding reports of Ben Simmons’ departure from the city ahead of the next upcoming NBA season.
Several reports are suggesting that an alleged rift between the two star players, Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid has forced the Australian point guard to force a move out of Philadelphia. Simmons, who is still only 25 has already had four major campaigns in the NBA with the Sixers. The Australian point guard has been a very vital player for the franchise over the years. But his struggles from last season meant that he was mercilessly trolled by the fans on all social media platforms. His teammates including Embiid were also not happy with his performances against the Atlanta Hawks, against whom they got knocked out in the playoffs last season.
Simmons was decent last season in the build-up to that game. However, he lacked major consistency when it came to his shooting in general. But his efforts were second to none. He worked out pretty hard in training sessions but things weren’t exactly going to plan for the talented Aussie. Despite his best efforts, he was not best friends with Sixers superstar Joel Embiid. Recently the big center claimed that Simmons departure has made the Sixers a contender for the NBA title.
However, over the years both Embiid and Simmons have bonded well at least on the court and led the team to great wins. While they have not managed to win the NBA title they still have delivered some amazing performances in the league in the last few years.
ESPN’s NBA Analyst Jay Williams spoke on this matter revealing how the two star players were never compatible for each other especially under the reign of chief coach Doc Rivers.
“See I think there’s something between Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid, and let me tell you why I think this way,” claimed Williams in an interview.
“Couple of weeks ago when Joel Embiid extends that key, it’s the first time I’ve seen Joel Embiid do something like that. I actually praised him for that because this is the leader that you need to be. But that’s not the case between these 2. There have been so many reports about them not talking, these guys not hanging. And I’m not saying you need to be best friends when you’re teammates with somebody to win a championship, but it seems like they’ve been so far off.”
It is more or less confirmed now that Simmons will move out of Philadelphia ahead of the upcoming NBA season. It will be interesting to see where the Australian point guard ends up as a lot of franchises are interested in the talented player.
