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The Philadelphia 76ers just got absolutely crushed by the Toronto Raptors in Game 4 of their second-round NBA Playoffs series, losing by an embarrassing 36 points, and falling into a 3-1 series hole. While the season isn’t yet over, there’s little optimism that the Sixers can stage a comeback in the series. That hasn’t stopped Philly big man Joel Embiid from at least trying to play the confident role, with the All-Star center apparently telling Raptors superfan Drake that the two will see each other again soon.
Embiid just walked by Drake and said “I’ll be back” …Thursday @Raptors it’s on…
— Leo Rautins (@LeoRautins) May 8, 2019
While Embiid might be the cornerstone of the Philadelphia 76ers’ franchise, in order to take the next step and really compete for an NBA title, ESPN’s Jalen Rose thinks the front office needs to go all-in and commit to building around either him or point guard Ben Simmons. Simmons, a former No. 1 overall pick, is an All-Star in his own right, but his lack of confidence in shooting the ball anywhere outside of 10 feet restricts the offense, and causes congestion in the paint; which is where Embiid does most of his work. With all that said, it’s why Rose believes that the Sixers need to trade the talented Simmons if they decide the Joel Embiid is their man.
“I feel like if you’re going to build around Joel Embiid, that means trading Ben Simmons,” Rose said. “Those are the two pillars of your team. Ben Simmons won’t shoot the ball outside of the paint, and he can’t shoot free throws. When the playoffs come and the game slows down, you want Joel Embiid in the post—not at the three-point line. If Ben Simmons is on the baseline at the dunk spot, there’s really no true room to operate and them to maximize their potential.”
To put it into perspective just how little Ben Simmons shoots, according to Basketball Reference, the point guard has only attempted 17 total threes through his first two NBA seasons, never even making one. And the average distance of the shots he does take are about 4.1 feet away from the basket. Given that kind of style from a starting point guard, it’s hard to imagine the Philadelphia 76ers not wanting to at least listen to offers for Simmons — something the team’s front office reportedly did around the trade deadline.
Back to Jalen Rose, he suggested that, regardless of what the Sixers decide, they need to be focusing on “begging Jimmy Butler to stay” this summer in free agency, saying that the veteran provides another star alongside both Simmons and Embiid, as well as leadership.
“I think that, what they should be trying to do is, beg Jimmy Butler to stay… that’s what they should be trying to do.”
“I don’t believe that, based on the process, that they’re going to be championship ready with Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons as their two best players anymore.”
Those are some strong words from Rose, but ones that the Philadelphia 76ers’ front office might want to listen to, because, given the amount of young talent the team has, it’s crazy to think they can’t get out of the second-round of the playoffs. Take a listen to the entire segment from ESPN’s Get Up! below.
Who knows what’s going to happen this summer in the NBA, but it sounds as if it could be even crazier with different All-Stars becoming available and free agents on the move.