Ben Simmons: Should He Stay Or Should He Go?

PHILADELPHIA, PA — For the third time in the last four years, the Sixers were eliminated from the NBA playoffs in the Eastern Conference semifinals. And for the third year in a row, their exit was early enough and expectations of the rebuild and the Process were outsized enough that fans and analysts pointed to the season as a disappointment.

But given how dominant the Sixers were in the regular season, heading home early in 2021 may be the most painful pill to swallow yet for a fanbase that hasn't seen an Eastern Conference championship series since the Allen Iverson days in 2001.

And blame is falling squarely on Ben Simmons, the Sixers versatile point guard who struggled offensively in the closing games of the Atlanta series. Simmons shot just 32 percent from the free throw line during the series, as the Hawks capitalized on his struggles by aggressively fouling him every time he drove to the net. It was a strategy that worked in two ways, as it also seemed to make Simmons more tentative about attacking the basket, even passing up an open layup late in Game 7.

The usual hot take crowd did not fail to take notice.

"Ben Simmons is literally scared to shoot the basketball," Stephen A. Smith said on ESPN.

Shannon Sharpe added that the Sixers will "never win a championship" with the three-time All Star point guard at the helm.

Shaquille O'Neal, meanwhile, said he would apply the same locker room mentality that led to years of acrimony between him and Kobe Bryant in Los Angeles. "If he was in my locker room, I would have knocked his (expletive) out."

While the Hawks doubtlessly exploited Simmons' outside shooting and free throw shooting weakness, all the same arguments about his unique skillset still stand. Simmons does more than shoot: he rebounds, he passes, he steals, he blocks. He's a consensus All-NBA defender.

And while talking heads are leaping all over someone to blame in Philadelphia, they've largely ignored an Atlanta team that has been playing at an elite level for months. Rarely was it mentioned that the Hawks, once fully healthy in the second half of the season, finished with nearly an identical record to the Sixers.

The Hawks finished their final 37 games at 26-11. The Sixers finished their final 37 games at 26-11. Both were among the best in the NBA. Once fully healthy in the second half of the season, Atlanta was clearly much better than their fifth seed suggests.

But such excuses will only go so far. The Sixers were on the verge of trading Simmons for superstar James Harden earlier in the season. Now, rumors are swirling that he may be headed to the San Antonio Spurs. This offseason will be another pivotal one for Philadelphia, as the franchise must determine if they think the Simmons-Joel Embiid pairing can ultimately translate their regular season dominance into contention for an NBA Championship.