The majority of the talk surrounding the Philadelphia 76ers has been the status of star guard Ben Simmons. The Sixers fell in Game 7 in the second round of the playoffs, and the annual issues Philadelphia has faced led to the team taking trade calls on him.
Simmons struggled from the free-throw line all postseason. He shot just 34.2% from the line and he still refuses to take jump shots to help the offense. After the final buzzer sounded, coach Doc Rivers expressed his belief in Simmons, but he also admitted that the 24-year-old star needs to get in the gym and put in the work.
In the most recent news dump by HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto, he reported that the three-time All-Star has, in fact, been in the gym and putting in work on the offensive end of the floor:
My understanding is that talks for Simmons to this point are just talks with teams expressing interest leading up to the draft. Certainly, there’s a high amount of interest in a guy that’s been an All-Star for several seasons and an All-Defensive player. Philly is in a win-now mode. They’re not trying to settle on anything or taking back future assets. You’ve got Joel Embiid in the prime of his career and an MVP candidate. The time for them is now, and the rest of their supporting cast is fitting around Embiid to shoot. Simmons, I’ve heard, has been in the gym working. He does recognize there’s a part of his game he needs to address with his shooting.
The Sixers will not trade him just to trade him, but there will have to be a clear improvement in his game on the offensive end to keep him for the entire season. If he is still the same player, Philadelphia will have to make the decision to move him by the 2022 deadline. By then, his value could be even lower.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
[listicle id=48387]
[lawrence-related id=48436,48432,48426]