There was a time when it seemed Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons would lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a championship. Both were young and on the same timeline to make the roster achieve its goals. Then everything went awry in 2021.
Following a second-round loss to the Atlanta Hawks in which Simmons had a miserable series, the three-time All-Star requested a trade. The Sixers waited until the 2022 deadline when they sent Simmons to the Brooklyn Nets to acquire James Harden.
Embiid hopped on teammate Tyrese Maxey’s podcast “Maxey on the Mic” and he reflected on his time with Simmons as he told Maxey (h/t Sports Illustrated):
I’ve always been one of those people that didn’t believe (Simmons) actually needed a jumper, like he was so good, he’s just a monster … almost as fast as you … freaking monster, strong, I never actually believed he needed a jumper. I just believed that, you know, if he could find a way to get his free throws to 75-80%, that would have changed everything.
Embiid has always said he believes he and Simmons could have been more successful if they stayed together longer. When looking back on the Embiid-Simmons era, it will be judged by the team’s success during the regular season but failure to reach its potential.
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