5 Reasons why Philadelphia 76ers need to trade either Joel Embiid or Ben Simmons this off-season
The Philadelphia 76ers bowed out of the NBA playoffs with a 110-106 loss in Game 4 against the Boston Celtics yesterday. This completed a tale of woe in the Philadelphia 76ers' NBA bubble endeavour, which got off to the worst possible start with Ben Simmons' injury. Joel Embiid's valiant efforts went in vain.
In the absence of the point guard, the 76ers suffered on both ends of the floor. Ben Simmons is an able defender who can legitimately guard all 5 positions. His passing vision and transition were sorely missed by the Philadelphia 76ers who struggled to score for long periods without Joel Embiid on the floor.
What can the Philadelphia 76ers do to amend the roster situation? Is there any hope for their All-Star home-bred duo? Or should they trade one of Ben Simmons or Joel Embiid? The following may be 5 reasons why they should be ready to do so:
#1 Ben Simmons' shooting woes
Since entering the NBA in 2016 and making his debut the subsequent season, Ben Simmons has been lambasted for the same weakness. His shooting from any kind of range has always been under the scanner. The Philadelphia 76ers All Star has attempted less 3-pointers than halfcourt heaves through the course of his NBA career.
Ben Simmons would be a transcendental talent if he were able to add at least a reliable mid-range game to his offensive arsenal. But as things stand, he is a classical point guard without classical guard shooting skills. His pick-and-roll play with Joel Embiid will never be effective if he doesn't improve his shot.
Even if Ben Simmons wishes to occupy the power forward role in the future, the Philadelphia 76ers will be hard-pressed to find a competent point guard for the right price. Ben Simmons would be able to play the role of a Giannis-lite in that world, but a fair number of major roster-wide shakeups would need to be made.
#2 Joel Embiid's fitness concerns
Joel Embiid missed over 200 games during his first 3 seasons in the NBA. Even in the 3 subsequent seasons, Joel Embiid has been rested on back-to-backs extensively. As a big man with an extensive history of foot injuries, there may come a time when the Philadelphia 76ers would be in dire need of him, but he would be in recovery mode.
Joel Embiid is one of the biggest bargaining chips in the NBA today, even after the Philadelphia 76ers' ignominous exit in a first-round sweep. He was mostly blameless in their loss to the Boston Celtics and had averages of 30+ points and 10+ rebounds for what turned out to be a 4-game series.
Joel Embiid may be a product of the Philadelphia 76ers' much-vaunted 'Process' and even have a central role in it, but perhaps not in a way that we imagined 2 years ago.
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#3 Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid are an awkward fit
Neither Joel Embiid nor Simmons is a good player from the perimeter. Both of them score the bulk of their points from within 10 feet of the hoop. This means that while the duo may beat ordinary teams with their physical dominance during the regular season, playoff opponents are able to scheme this advantage out of the game.
It first became apparent in the 2018 playoffs, when the Philadelphia 76ers were shockingly knocked out by the 'Hospital Celtics' 4-1. Ben Simmons finished a game with 1 point and was given the 'Rondo treatment' - players would stay 5 feet away from his as he dribbled the ball.
Marc Gasol played a big role in thwarting Joel Embiid for 2-3 outings in the Philadelphia 76ers' heartbreaking 7-game series against the Raptors last year. Kawhi Leonard put the clamps on Ben Simmons all by himself, reducing the 6'9" forward to hapless, off-balance layup attempts.
#4 Phildalphia 76ers can't move Tobias Harris and Al Horford's contracts
There's no point crying over spilled milk, as the Philadelphia 76ers will find out to their cost. In their haste to take advantage of free agency in 2019, Elton Brand spent nearly all of the Philadelphia 76ers' available cap space on signing Tobias Harris and Al Horford.
Both the signings were dubious even with foresight, but the duo's performances in the playoffs without Ben Simmons makes the signings look even more shocking in hindsight. Harris is an average defender at best and often had trouble generating his own shot against elite defenders - especially without service from Ben Simmons.
Horford, meanwhile, seemed to have lost his shooting touch and got thoroughly outplayed by the smaller, less talented Celtics bigs in 3 games. Their trade value is at an all-time low right now, and the Philadelphia 76ers will hardly get pennies on the dollar.
#5 Philadelphia 76ers are better off paying role players
Sometimes the sunk cost fallacy gets the best of people. They dedicate more and more effort into things that seem fated to fail. The Philadelphia 76ers may well be able to avoid paying too high a price and watching their best-laid plans (tanking to draft Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons) go waste.
Mending the Philadelphia 76ers' roster inefficiencies is a deeper issue than trading one of Joel Embiid or Ben Simmons. But it seems to be the only viable option for a franchise that has not been a championship threat for 19 seasons now.
Both Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons have the potential to be franchise players wherever they're traded. They're also on excellent contracts relative to their value addition to a team. The Philadelphia 76ers need to take a long, hard look at their roster situation, and realize that sometimes saving the body means chopping a leg.
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