There was a time when NBA executives were willing to leverage their entire future to trade for Ben Simmons, but that doesn’t seem to be the case anymore.
Simmons is only 24 years old, so he’s just entering his prime. He’s already one of the best defenders in the NBA, and his quickness makes him difficult to guard on the offensive end of the floor.
But he’s a bit one-dimensional in terms of his scoring ability, and it looks like opposing teams are beginning to figure out how to take him away. Simmons has an unconventional shooting motion, and he can’t create his own shot. If they take away his penetration, he just isn’t effective.
In fact, it’s not a stretch to say he simply can’t shoot from midrange or the perimeter, at least not by NBA standards. He went 2-of-6 from the floor in Game 6 on Friday night, and attempted only 10 three-pointers all season, making just three of them.
And NBA executives are taking note, apparently.
NBA insider Zach Lowe shared an interesting tidbit on his podcast, “The Lowe Post” about Simmons’ trade value decreasing.
“I have news for Philly fans, the GMs of the other teams watch the playoffs very, very closely,” Lowe said. “And there are definitely teams that I have talked to in the last 48 hours who were once in on Simmons, who say, at least to me, it could be posturing, “Eh, we’re a little less in than we used to be.’”
It’s easy to understand why. Joel Embiid has been carrying the Sixers on the offensive end of the floor.
