"He was thrown under the bus" - Matisse Thybulle says that Ben Simmons was made a scapegoat by Philadelphia 76ers fans
Philadelphia 76ers star Matisse Thybulle has come out in his teammate Ben Simmons' defense with regards to the Australian international getting flak for passing on a dunk in their series against the Atlanta Hawks. Thybulle made an appearance on JJ Redick's podcast 'Old Man and the Three', and was quoted as saying -
"He was thrown under the bus. You asked me if I had been booed or people been mad at me, I made the foul that lost us the last game, and I received almost no (flak)…there was a little bit on Twitter, but like the Ben hate was so much louder…just build the frame of reference, like I lost us the game in which lost us the series, and no one really spoke about it, but they wanted to talk about the passing up the dunk and passing it to me more than my foul."
Thybulle is referring to the Eastern Conference semi-finals Game 7 between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Atlanta Hawks, in which Ben Simmons passed on a dunk and opted to pass the ball instead. The play could have resulted in the 76ers putting themselves in a position to win, but Simmons' decision to pass turned out to be counter-productive.
This whole episode was a vibe. Out later this week. https://t.co/qOSSfjPcdI
Ben Simmons has been the subject of multiple NBA trade rumors this offseason
Ben Simmons has been the subject of multiple NBA trade rumors this offseason, with the likes of the Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings and Indiana Pacers registering interest in the point forward. However, trade talks with none of these teams have materialized yet, and it remains to be seen where the defensive savant will land ahead of the 2021-22 NBA season.
I spoke with Woj about Ben Simmons refusal to report to Sixers training camp. @wojespn #KJLIVE #NBA https://t.co/tTUh5GDOct
Simmons' trade value took a significant hit due to his performances in the 2021 playoffs, and the Philadelphia 76ers being open to part ways with him further diminished it. According to the latest reports, Ben Simmons is not interested in playing for the Philadelphia 76ers anymore, and is willing to go as far as paying fines and accepting due punishment for missing training camp and NBA games.
The relationship between Ben Simmons and Philadelphia 76ers has diminished to a point where it simply cannot be salvaged, and it doesn't look like the front office will be able to get an ideal return in exchange for the point guard.
The Philadelphia 76ers will be letting go of one of the best defensive players in the league if they trade Ben Simmons, as he finished second in the NBA DPOY voting last season. He is also a brilliant playmaker, and as it stands, the Philadelphia 76ers have very few quality options on the market to replace him with.