Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

76ers fans cheer Ben Simmons for making pregame warmup shots

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated 6/20/21

The spotlight will be on Ben Simmons during Sunday’s Game 7. If there was any doubt about that, the pregame reception he got from his own fans in Philadelphia proves it.

Simmons worked on his much-maligned free throw shooting during pregame warmups ahead of the Sixers’ decisive game against the Atlanta Hawks. Whenever he made one, the home fans could be heard offering some possibly tongue-in-cheek cheers.

Fans are cheering Ben Simmons every time he has hit a free throw during pregame pic.twitter.com/JrnPylGG70

— Chris Franklin (@cfranklinnews) June 20, 2021

It’s not clear if this is supposed to be encouraging or not. It’s definitely indicative of how bad things have gotten for Simmons, though. He wasn’t even on the court for key parts of Game 6 due to concerns about his free throw shooting.

Simmons has shot just 33.8 percent from the line during the playoffs so far. Expect the Hawks to try to force him to make some free throws with the season on the line.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: