NBA Rumors: Ben Simmons' trade value has dipped after poor performance in 2021 playoffs
Ben Simmons has been under the hammer recently for his struggles in the ongoing playoffs and NBA rumors suggest that league executives are starting to re-evaluate his potential. Simmons' inability to shoot the ball has been thoroughly exploited by the Atlanta Hawks in their ongoing Eastern Conference Semifinals series against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Ben Simmons is not on the chopping block yet, but if the Philadelphia 76ers were to swing for a superstar, the Australian would likely be included in the trade package. As per ESPN's Zach Lowe, though, Simmons is losing his trade value. Lowe said the following on the latest episode of The Lowe Post podcast:
"I have news for Philly fans, the GMs of the other teams watch the playoffs very very closely. And there are definitely teams that I have talked to in the last 48 hours who were once in on Simmons, who say, at lease to me, it could be posturing, 'eh, we’re a little less in than we used to be.'"
Ben Simmons has averaged 12.5 points, 8.5 assists and 7.9 rebounds per game through 11 games in the 2021 NBA Playoffs.
NBA Trade Rumors: Can Ben Simmons redeem himself in the future?
Even after playing three full seasons in the NBA, Ben Simmons has failed to develop a proper shot. The biggest concern for Simmons has been his shooting from the charity stripe. He has made only 24 of his 71 free-throw attempts in the 2021 playoffs.
The Atlanta Hawks have capitalized on this shortcoming of Simmons by employing the Hack-a-Ben strategy. The Hawks have purposefully fouled the 6'10 guard to send him to the free-throw line repeatedly and stop the Philadelphia 76ers' offensive flow. The situation has been so bad that head coach Doc Rivers has had to bench Simmons in the final minutes of the fourth quarter in multiple games.
While shooting continues to be Ben Simmons' Achilles heel, he's still an elite defender who finished second in the Defensive Player of the Year race this season. Simmons is also a premier playmaker who makes good use of his size on the boards.
Although he hasn't been able to do this after several seasons, if Ben Simmons can develop a reliable shot, he'll be able to prove his critics wrong. But that's easier said than done.
Also read: NBA Trade Rumors: LA Lakers' Kyle Kuzma attracting interest from Sacramento Kings and OKC Thunder