Have Ben Simmons and the Sixers reached the point of no return? Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Where do Ben Simmons and the Sixers go from here?

Originally posted on Game 7 | By Carlos Garcia | Last updated 6/22/21

The Philadelphia 76ers’ 103-96 Game 7 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday sent massive reverberations throughout the franchise.

With the season on the line and his team in desperate need of offensive support, Ben Simmons contributed exactly five points on four shots for the day.

After Simmons shot a porous 34.2% from the line throughout the playoffs, his numbers took another tumble against Atlanta – culminating in him shooting 33% from the line and being absolutely terrified to touch the ball in any capacity that would result in a foul being called.

When it was all said and done, Simmons posted the worst free throw percentage in NBA playoff history for a player with at least 70 attempts.

After a fact, the Sixers’ trade plans for Simmons immediately leaked out. But the bad news didn’t stop there. Now the young star is being absolutely trashed in the media for his personality deficiencies.

“I just received a text from somebody very, very close to the situation in Philadelphia about Ben Simmons. … ‘He doesn’t work, he doesn’t listen, and everyone around him is family, and he’s constantly babied.’”

@stephenasmith pic.twitter.com/PyUXzv8Vw8

— First Take (@FirstTake) June 22, 2021

“I just received a text from somebody very, very close to the situation in Philadelphia about Ben Simmons. … ‘He doesn’t work, he doesn’t listen, and everyone around him is family, and he’s constantly babied,’” Stephen A. Smith said on First Take Tuesday morning.

Some of the Simmons slander is warranted. He has hypothesized on why he is such a terrible shooter, so if he can acknowledge a problem exists, it’s a bit stunning that he won’t attempt to fix it.

On the other hand, Simmons wasn’t the lone person responsible for Philly’s collapse. He is just a convenient scapegoat.

One way or another, this is shaping up to be an interesting offseason. Will Simmons ultimately get dealt before the start of next year? Time will tell.

This article first appeared on Game 7 and was syndicated with permission.

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