The Atlanta Hawks exposed Ben Simmons in the playoffs. He was scared to shoot, couldn’t execute down the stretch, and even his top-tier defense was nowhere to be found in that infamous series. Now, he refuses to come back.
Doc Rivers seemingly threw him under the bus after that series. He claimed that he didn’t know whether Simmons could be the starting point guard of a championship team. That was wrong and uncalled for, and we can all agree to that.
Then again, even his teammates feel like Simmons has blown the situation out of proportion. Instead of making a point, his temper tantrum has done nothing but hurt his pocket and his team’s ability to compete at the highest level.
Sixers News: Joel Embiid Would Welcome Ben Simmons Back, Sets One Condition
But even despite how he’s treated his teammates, the fans, and the organization, Joel Embiid would still welcome Simmons back with the team. That’s, assuming he’s ready to commit and actually wants to be there:
“Anybody is welcome to play. If you want to be part of us, I’m sure everybody will be fine with it, but you have to show up and want to be there,” the MVP frontrunner told the media ahead of the trade deadline.
Embiid Wants Simmons To Have Some Accountability
Embiid recently called out Simmons for his lack of accountability. Per the big man, he should be humble enough to realize that he wasn’t good enough and needed to work on the few flaws in his game:
“Everybody’s at fault. But at the end of the day, you’ve gotta look at yourself,”Embiid said of Ben Simmons’ situation, per Bryan Toporek.“Just like when we lost, I looked at myself. I knew I wasn’t good enough. I knew I wasn’t healthy enough and I knew I wasn’t good enough.”
Ben Simmons’ talent and physical tools are only topped by his ego and determination to prove a point. He’s clearlya special, unique kind of player. Hopefully, he’ll realize that before it’s just too late.
