The biggest debate surrounding the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2019-20 season has been the fit of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. Every talking head on TV or on sports talk radio has questioned the fit all season and it gathered more steam as the pieces surrounding the All-Stars have not exactly had a smooth transition.
The two sports talking heads who have taken on this topic have been ESPN’s Max Kellerman and Stephen A. Smith on First Take. They have debated all season about who the better player is and what needs to be done for Philadelphia to win a championship.
Monday was all about whether the drama surrounding the two stars has been overblown and Kellerman says yes saying:
Yes, way too much in fact. They’re 25-2 at home. Period. Whatever their issues are on the road, you see what they’re capable of. Also, Embiid and Simmons together actually make each other better. You can see offensively how efficient they are. Their offensive efficiency, Simmons rises with Embiid rather than anyone else on that team and vice versa. Embiid is most efficient when Simmons is on the court.
To Kellerman’s point, the Sixers dup has been playing together for almost three seasons now and they understand each other game. They laughed off the notion that the two of them cannot play together over the weekend in Chicago and they’ve proven in the past that they can make this work. It’s the other pieces around them that have not been able to make it work.
Kellerman added:
The problem with the Sixers is not Embiid and Simmons, so that’s what I mean by too much of a big deal is being made of it..they had a lot of money to spend in the offseason and they spent it on Al Horford and Tobias Harris. That’s the problem.
Kellerman does make a point as Horford and Harris have been inconsistent and it’s been tough for them to find their role on this team. It has gotten to the point where coach Brett Brown has now decided to bring Horford off the bench as he tries to make this roster fit.
It is funny, however, that Kellerman and Smith are debating this topic of too much drama surrounding Embiid and Simmons when they are the ones that are bringing it up the most.
Embiid and Simmons had a solid All-Star game in Chicago and they will now return home as the Sixers host the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday. [lawrence-related id=25988,25979,25973]