PHILADELPHIA (94WIP Sportsradio) — It has been more than seven months since Ben Simmons last played a game in the NBA — a 103-96 Game 7 loss to the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
A new piece for ESPN+ by Ramona Shelburne details the current Simmons situation, stating that he is unhappy that Joel Embiid blamed that aforementioned loss on Simmons, while Simmons did not blame Embiid for his poor series against the Toronto Raptors in 2019.
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Embiid averaged 17.5 points in that series — which ended in the Kawhi Leonard Game 7 buzzer-beater — shooting just 37% from the field. In that same series, Simmons averaged 11.5 points and 4.8 assists.
Simmons averaged just 9.8 points in last year's second-round series against the Hawks, scoring just 8, 6 and 5 points, respectively, in the final three games of the series, with zero fourth-quarter points or shot attempts in the final four games.
Shelburne reports Simmons is in "great physical shape" as he continues to work out separately with his own group of trainers, organizing local runs and lifting weights at a public local fitness club. However, Simmons reportedly "continues to tell the team and those who represent him that he is not mentally ready to get back on the court again. Not now and not ever in Philadelphia."
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Simmons, 25, is a three-time NBA All-Star and two-time All-NBA first-team defender. He signed a five-year contract worth $170 million in 2019. He has already made approximately $90 million and he is due around another $114 million over the next three seasons, according to spotrac.com.
The Sixers, on the other hand, are red hot, winning 15 of their last 18 games, including an overtime thriller at home against the Grizzlies Monday night, with Embiid out due to rest. The Sixers have won five in a row to pull within a 0.5 game of first place in the East.
Embiid is amid the best stretch of basketball he's ever played and is averaging a career-high 29.1 points, 10.8 rebounds, a career-high 4.4 assists, 1.4 blocks, and a career-best 3.0 turnovers per game this season.
The NBA trade deadline is Feb. 10.
