Ben Simmons is very possibly amid his most frustrating week as a professional basketball player.
One day after his early season offensive struggles came to a tipping point in an overtime win over the Heat where Simmons fouled out after taking just two shot attempts in 32 minutes, his name was at the center of James Harden trade rumors.
Ultimately, Simmons was not traded and Harden went to the Nets. The following night, Simmons—fighting through an emotional and professional slump—tallied his 30th career triple double in a Sixers blowout win with 10 points, 12 assists, 10 rebounds, and three steals, becoming the third fastest player to hit that mark behind Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson.
After the game, the 24-year-old—who was once maligned by the local media for being immature for some reason—answered questions about the Harden rumors as maturely and professionally as anyone could.
Related
"This is a business," Simmons said on Thursday night, according to The Athletic's Sixers reporter Derek Bodner. "Things like that happen. The only thing I can control is how I approach my workouts, the games, and my day to day things. I'm just trying to be professional and do the right thing and help my team get wins.
"I'm blessed. I get to play the game I love at the highest level in the world. There's far worse things going on in the world. If you tell me I'll never play the game again, that would be a different story."
Despite a whacky start to the 2021 NBA season with multiple players missing games due to COVID-19, Philadelphia is off to a 9-4 start, and have looked quite impressive. Up next, they face the Grizzlies in Memphis on Saturday night.