Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid were the two cornerstones of “The Process” in Philadelphia, but now we have a better idea of what led to the souring of the relationship between the two.
ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne reported on Tuesday about the continuing saga between Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers. In addition, Shelburne’s story revealed the big problem that Simmons has with his star teammate Embiid. Simmons is upset that Embiid seemed to blame him for last season’s playoff loss to the Atlanta Hawks when he did not blame Embiid for Embiid’s poor showing against the Toronto Raptors in the 2019 playoffs, Shelburne says.
Shelbure’s article also contains more extensive reporting on the ongoing Simmons situation in Philly.
The Toronto series in question was a second-round matchup, which the Sixers lost in Game 7 on Kawhi Leonard’s miracle buzzer-beater. Embiid was famously seen crying after the loss. Though Embiid’s averages during that series were down from his regular season numbers, they actually weren’t too bad, as he put up 17.6 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. Toronto also went on to win the NBA title that year.
Meanwhile, Simmons’ well-documented struggles last postseason came against a fairly beatable Hawks team that is tenth in the East this season with virtually the same core. It is true that Embiid was not particularly supportive of Simmons after that loss. But at this point, it sounds like Simmons is looking for anything to justify the fact that he wants out.
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