- 7 months ago
Ben Simmons' time as a Philadelphia 76er is seen as a failure. Plain and simple. After a horrific 2021 Eastern Conference Semifinals loss against the Atlanta Hawks, what followed was a head-spinning offseason filled with finger-pointing, reports of mental health issues, and a city turning on their once bright star, leaving Ben wanting out of Philly. It was a messy situation, and whether or not you believe all the blame unfairly fell on Ben’s shoulders, his time as a Sixer is seen as a waste. However, failure often comes from great expectations, and Ben had lofty hopes placed upon him as he entered the league. He grew from an unknown international prospect to crushing competition stateside. Dubbed the next LeBron James. The final missing piece for a rebuilding franchise searching for its first title in decades. Let’s meet those versions of Ben Simmons in the prism.
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00:00This is the lasting image of Ben Simmons as a Philadelphia 76er, passing the ball under the
00:06rim with a much shorter defender on him and a crucial Game 7 playoff loss at home. What followed
00:12that moment was a head-spitting offseason filled with finger-pointing, reports of mental health
00:17issues, and the city turning on their once-right star, leaving Ben wanting out of Philly. It was
00:23a messy situation, and whether or not you believe all the blame unfairly fell on Ben's shoulders,
00:29his time as a Sixer is seen as a failure. However, failure often comes from great expectations,
00:37and Ben had lofty hopes placed upon him as he entered the league. He grew from an unknown
00:44international prospect to crushing competition stateside, dubbed the next LeBron James,
00:51the final missing piece for a rebuilding franchise searching for its first title in decades.
00:56Let's meet those versions of Ben Simmons and the prism. This episode is presented by Honda.
01:04The all-new CR-V trailsport hybrid is built to explore. Ben Simmons was born with it, and by it,
01:13I mean the genetic gifts and physical attributes to dominate in athletics. As the son of a former
01:19pro-hooper, balling is in Ben's blood, but basketball wasn't always his calling.
01:25Growing up in Australia, Ben loved Aussie rules football and was torn between which sport to choose.
01:32His old basketball coach, Andrew Gaze, recalled Ben's mom being in the dark about what her son wanted,
01:39leaving the coach hoping he wouldn't lose his start of footy. And crikey, Ben set his mind on hoops.
01:46When he hit high school, Ben's talent immediately stood out from his peers, and not just the Aussies.
01:53In his first appearance stateside, Ben wowed on looking scouts, commuting in a prestigious
01:58All-American camp as an incoming 15-year-old freshman. He quickly went from unknown zero to hero
02:05in a flash. From there, moving to the U.S. was the next logical step in his development,
02:11where he ultimately joined basketball high school powerhouse Montverde Academy.
02:17Ben looked pro-bound nearly from the get-go. Standing at 6'10", 230 pounds, Ben had extremely
02:25unique talent, blending forward size and strength with the vision and passing skills of a guard.
02:32Defensively, he had the athleticism to guard positions one through five.
02:36As he racked up personal accolades en route to winning multiple high school championships,
02:41the nation's top schools drooled at the thought of landing who they considered the most versatile
02:46player in the country. Ultimately, Simmons shocked everyone and went to LSU, a school where according
02:53to him, he needed to put in the work. That was the draw for him. It also might have helped that Ben's
03:02godfather coached at LSU, but whether it was a drive to get it out the mud his way or family ties,
03:09Ben got to work ASAP. He was a walking double-double, putting up monstrous numbers, leading Hall of
03:16Famer Magic Johnson to dub him the best all-around player since LeBron James. The damn president of the
03:24United States even sung his praises. The love didn't stop there. Media members and scouts
03:31gushed over his skill set, and as he declared for the NBA draft after one season, many talent
03:37evaluators considered him the consensus number one overall pick. Franchises having the chance to add
03:44the next LBJ to their roster sounds like a no-brainer, but some experts believe Ben's game left more to be
03:50desired. From a pure basketball standpoint, Ben had a faulty jumper that needed work, but his initial
03:58attitude of wanting to do things the hard way conflicted a bit with his actual outlook on the
04:04court. For one, LSU wasn't some dominant force during Ben's time in Baton Rouge as the Tigers failed
04:12to make the NCAA tournament. He also didn't hit the books. The harsh truth of college athletics is that
04:20top recruited players rarely go to school to play school, but it's not the best look being relegated
04:26to the bench for academic reasons. Talent will always outweigh missing classes, and Ben had sky-high
04:33potential, but at times, he played with a nonchalant demeanor that led to questions about his
04:39competitiveness. That coupled with reports of Ben behaving as if he were bigger than the program,
04:46refusing coaching and acting like his shit didn't stink rubbed folks the wrong way. However,
04:53those perceived question marks didn't deter the Philadelphia 76ers who owned the number one pick.
04:59Sixers head coach Brett Brown, who had Aussie connections with Simmons, thought all the
05:04speculations about Ben were off base. Brown was in a unique position, having spent time around Ben and
05:11his fam, and believed all the criticism was so harsh, especially considering Ben's age. Brown knew Ben's
05:18upbringing, how he operated, and had no worries about his character, ultimately assuring Ben that he would
05:25be a Sixer come draft night. Brown credited his history with Simmons being a huge plus throughout the draft
05:32process, and while some doubts existed, the majority of experts believe Philly landed a star to lead their
05:39new vision. Before acquiring Simmons, 76ers brass were amid a rebuilding strategy dubbed The Process, where the team
05:47aimed to acquire high-end draft picks to build a championship roster. The strategy initially seemed like a
05:54misfire, as Philly suffered several consecutive losing seasons, and the top draft picks they banked on couldn't stay
06:02healthy, but they stayed the course. It wasn't great when Ben was also forced to sit out his first season after
06:08sustaining a foot injury, reigniting doubts about the Sixers' grand scheme and Ben's potential, but in his
06:14return to action during the 2017-18 campaign, Ben put that skepticism to rest. The Sixers desperately
06:23needed a playmaker, and in a season littered with absurd statistical numbers, surpassing the historic
06:28greats of the game, while garnering more praise from its legends, Simmons lit up the league, flashing his
06:35exceptional versatility and defensive prowess, earning the rookie of the year honors. Even more impressively
06:42is how he managed to cook opponents while working through a broken jumper. Sharpshooters in the NBA carry
06:49a certain gravity on the floor, as defenders can be pulled in all around the court, but despite lacking a
06:55reliable shot, he kept defenders honest because his passing was that elite. He could find and hit his
07:03teammates cleanly no matter where they were on the floor, further drawing comparisons to Braun.
07:09The threat of Ben's passing alone allowed him to exploit defenses while working off-ball,
07:15using his unique blend of speed and strength to be a nightmared guard in open space.
07:21With Ben in the lineup, Philly went from a 28-win team to 52 in just a season.
07:27Simmons and co-star Joel Embiid formed a deadly dynamic duo that journalists believed could terrorize
07:34the league for years to come. And while the future looked extremely bright, Simmons first experienced
07:41some growing pains in his inaugural postseason. Philly handled the Miami Heat easily in the first
07:47round, with Ben adding more history to his early resume, but the second round against the Boston Celtics
07:53offense wasn't that smooth. In game two of that series, Ben had one of the worst performances of
08:00his young career, putting up one point with just four total shot attempts. After the matchup, Ben thought
08:07his lackluster showing had more to do with getting his mind right and overthinking things instead of just
08:13playing. It was an extremely disappointing outing and a rather poor series for Ben, but media members
08:20chalked it up to first-year jitters and believed he would return stronger from it. He hit the offseason
08:26and got to work on his jumper, looking to improve his game, and Ben surpassed the expectations of
08:32experts as he leveled up in his second season. His ability to impact the game in multiple ways,
08:38whether it was being a Swiss Army knife defender or getting his teammates involved offensively with
08:43pinpoint passes helped contribute immensely to Philly's success. His unprecedented ability to
08:50stuff stat sheets on a nightly basis rivaled the greats of the game as he etched his name in the
08:55history books yet again. If he were to ever find a strong shot, media members believed the league was
09:03in a world of trouble. Outside of having his fingerprints all over games in multiple ways, Ben appeared to step up
09:10and be more vocal as a leader in the locker room during his second season. He wasn't afraid to
09:15challenge his teammates, calling them soft after a loss against a lowly Hawks team, which he then followed
09:22up with a dominant 20-point, 22-rebound performance where he was an assist shy of a triple-double and a
09:29win against the Knicks. Host game, head coach Brett Brown praised Ben's masterful control of the matchup.
09:36Throughout the season, Ben had caught himself being too passive at times, knowing he had to stay
09:44aggressive on offense for his team to win. With Ben scoring the rock and facilitating at a high level,
09:51Philly looked more like a complete team. Finding that balance was integral for Ben as he earned his
09:57first All-Star nod, but his playoff performance again left more questions. Ben had an odd mixed bag of
10:06performances where he looked dialed in dropping 31 with high efficiency and other games where he
10:12looked completely uninterested in getting involved. The latter was highlighted by a series opening loss
10:17against the Brooklyn Mets where Ben dropped nine points on nine shot attempts as he got berated by
10:24the Philly Faithful. Ben seemed to take issues with the fans booing, but post-game he believed his
10:31his performance simply came down to him getting in his own way and overthinking things. It's a message
10:37he relayed about his struggles in the playoffs last year, but as a franchise cornerstone, journalists
10:43believed he simply had to be better. While the criticism fell heavy on Ben, his coach had his back.
10:50Brown believed Ben's game was still growing and thought it was ridiculous to judge the performance of a
10:5622 year old with little playoff experience. Philly understood Ben was a huge part of their makeup
11:03and wasted no time as they signed him to a contract extension that summer. As the 2019-2020 season
11:10rolled around, Ben again did his best to quiet the doubts. While he still seemed reluctant to take
11:17outside shots, with the loss of All-Star Jimmy Butler in the offseason, Philly leaned heavily on Ben's
11:24playmaking duties and he answered the call. And what he lacked offensively, he more than made up on the
11:31other end. Ben had proved to be a strong defender, but throughout his third season, he constantly had
11:38opponents in a stranglehold with high motor energy from tip-off until the clock hit all zeroes. Philly had
11:45an up-and-down season defensively, but Simmons was a lone player on the team who brought the fire every game.
11:51His ability to stick whoever while utilizing his quickness and length to clog passing lanes was
11:58especially impressive as he finished the season as the league leader in steals. It's an effort that
12:04saw him earn his first ever All-Defense honor, snagging a spot on the top squad. When it finally appeared
12:11that Ben was putting all the pieces together, as he went down with a knee injury to end the season,
12:15Philly's title hopes went with him. Sure, you can criticize his scoring production, but without his
12:22ability to put the clamps on opponents top players and versatility to switch one through five, the Sixers
12:29crumbled defensively in their first round matchup against the Celtics. After watching his team get swept
12:35from afar, Ben vowed he never wanted to feel that pain again, but as Philly entered the offseason, he lost his top
12:43supporter in the locker room. The former coach was not only influential in bringing Ben to Philly,
12:49but also treated his top pick, unlike other members of the squad, with holding criticism at times,
12:55which didn't sit right with some players in the locker room. Philly went on to hire former
13:01championship winning coach Doc Rivers, and if the org wanted a shot at a title of their own,
13:06they needed a huge year from Ben following one of the best seasons of his career. For the third
13:13consecutive season, Ben put up all-star level numbers, repeated as a first-team all-defensive
13:18member, and nearly won Depoy, all for it to be overshadowed by this. The Game 7 flub was just the
13:28icing on the cake of several disappointing playoff outings that left the fans and the franchise
13:33questioning what could have been. Without the backing of Brown, the franchise no longer thought Ben's
13:40juice was worth the squeeze and the two sides parted ways. As he now looks to pick up the pieces
13:47of his career somewhere else and could very well transform his overall perception, Ben's time in
13:54Philly will forever be viewed as a flop. While it's easy to say that so matter-of-factly, the signs were
14:01kind of there from the jump. The broken jumper, his approach to the game, attitude about improving,
14:08all criticisms that follow him as he entered the league. But talent often prevails over everything,
14:15and damn did the dude look generational. The build, the playmaking ability, the superb defensive
14:22versatility, it was all there. We witnessed it. But during an age where we typically glamorize failures
14:29over success, it's hard to get lost in the fact that Ben Simmons, at a time, was that dude.
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