The Philadelphia 76ers reportedly remain committed to solving Ben Simmons' bewildering shooting woes this offseason, and keeping the 24-year-old guard as a franchise centerpiece. But is this juice really worth the squeeze?
Former NBA forward and current SiriusXM NBA Radio analyst Rick Mahorn has his doubts.
"If I'm in that GM position like Daryl Morey is, I'm always sitting around and seeing what I can get [in the market]," Mahorn told the Tiki and Tierney show on Thursday. "To play down there, and the way they can ride or die with you, if you don't do what you need to do... It's Ben Simmons' fault, because this city can embrace you if you just go ahead and shoot. You can miss the shot -- they don't care, they just want you to shoot.
"So, do I see him in a Sixers uniform next year? It's going to be hard, and it's going to be hard to sell Philadelphia with that. There's going to be some compassionate fans, but there's going to be those fans, 'Get that bum out of there'... I've been around this league, and when Philadelphia fans don't like you, you might as well head home."
Simmons, a three-time All-Star, scored a measly seven points on just four shot attempts in the Sixers' Game 7 loss to the Atlanta Hawks in the East semifinals last Sunday. He also finished the postseason a ghastly 25-for-73 (34.2-percent) from the free throw line, the worst rate in NBA playoff history, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
To make matters worse, Simmons took a total of three shots in 56 fourth-quarter minutes across seven games against the Hawks, and averaged a scant 9.8 points per game.
"If they would've won [Game 7], we wouldn't even be really talking about this until they lose again. That's why in the playoffs, everything is magnified 10 times," Mahorn said. "If I'm Doc [Rivers] and I'm coaching and we're running over plays and he's right there, I'd stop practice. And I was talking to my friends about this. Why not just stop practice and say, 'Hey man, shoot the ball.' And then make it continuous, 'Hey man, shoot the ball. We ain't got time for this'...
"The fact of the matter is, hey man, shoot the ball. Just shoot the ball. Is it that hard? C'mon, man. I don't know. We all have mental issues sometimes to a degree, especially dealing with this pandemic. But if somebody tells me to shoot the ball, I ain't hesitating."
Simmons has four years and roughly $147 million remaining on his contract, per Spotrac.com.
The entire NBA conversation between Mahorn and Tiki and Tierney can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow the Tiki and Tierney Show on Twitter @TikiAndTierney and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.