Philadelphia 76ers star point guard Ben Simmons has been on an offensive tear as of late, which should get fans very excited.
Before getting into the impressive week that Ben Simmons had for the Philadelphia 76ers, it should be noted that this was the closest race for the award yet this season. Joel Embiid also had a very impressive week along side Simmons. The reason why Simmons earns this over Embiid is due to the fact that Simmons had played above his normal level of production, where as Embiid played right at the standard that he has set for himself this season thus far.
In the Sixers home win against the Phoenix Suns, Simmons was one assist away from getting a triple-double. He finished the contest with 19 points, 11 rebounds, nine assists, one steal, four turnovers and two fouls, while making 9-13 field goals and 1-6 from the charity stripe. Despite this outing being the lowest scoring output for Simmons this week, he still nearly reached a triple-double. If he had reached the triple-double then it would have been his fourth of the season.
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The close victory against the New Orleans Pelicans was arguably the point guard’s worst game of the week. He had 22 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, one steal, two blocks, six turnovers and three fouls, while shooting 9-18 from the floor and 100 percent on four free throw attempts. The worse part of Simmons performance was his ball control, minus that he still was outstanding against the Pels.
Simmons impressive output was overshadowed by the Sixers stunning home loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The 22 points, four rebounds, 10 assists, one steal, one block, one turnover and four fouls were an after thought in Philly’s first home loss of the season. On top of his 14th double-double of the season, Simmons made 10-12 attempts from the floor and 2-5 from the foul line during the game.
Honorable Mention
The big guy’s high exceptions may have kept him from winning this player of the week award, it doesn’t mean Embiid didn’t perform at a ridiculously high level. He finished the week averaging, 29.3 points, 16.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.0 steal, 1.0 block, 5.0 turnovers and 4.0 fouls.
Outside the high foul and turnover rate, Embiid dominated in typical fashion. If he cuts out the excess turnovers and fouls, there’s a chance he could reclaim the title like he did in the previous edition of the player of the week award.
Simmons’ impressive play shows the aggressiveness that the Philadelphia 76ers need from one of their franchise players. Hopefully as he continues to become more aggressive in getting buckets, he will begin to expand his game in the future. He averaged 21.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, 8.7 assists, 1.0 steal, 1.0 block, 3.7 turnovers and 3.0 fouls to earn his second player of the week award of the season.