Philadelphia 76ers: Ben Simmons is finding his rhythm in Joel Embiid’s absence
The Philadelphia 76ers have won four strait with the help of Ben Simmons, who is hitting his stride offensively in the absence of Joel Embiid.
Before I start this article, I want to make a few things perfectly clear:
The Philadelphia 76ers are not going to trade Joel Embiid. The Philadelphia 76ers are also not going to trade Ben Simmons. Nor should they.
By no means is this article attempting to make the case that one of these guys should be traded, or that the team as a whole works better with one of them out – this is simply meant to be an observation.
With that being said, what I have observed is this: Ben Simmons is on perhaps the greatest offensive stretch of his career in the last seven games since Joel Embiid has been sidelined.
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I am a firm believer that Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons can work together on the court, and that together they can win a championship as Philadelphia 76ers with the right circumstances around them. That doesn’t mean I can’t point out how well Ben has played in these last seven games since Joel has been out.
On Monday afternoon against the Brooklyn Nets, Ben Simmons had arguably the best game of his young career. Simmons logged 34 points, 12 rebounds, 12 assists, five steals, and two blocks. Ben was a +13 in 42 minutes, and the numbers don’t even tell the whole story. Simmons was doing everything for the Sixers, and the game itself was a microcosm of what Ben has been doing recently without Joel Embiid on the floor.
Since Joel Embiid went down with a torn radial collateral ligament in the fourth metacarpal of his left hand (which is a perfectly normal sounding injury), Ben Simmons has averaged 21.3 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 7.9 assists per game. Simmons scoring has gone up considerably, and once again the numbers don’t quite paint a perfect picture of how dominant he has been during this stretch.
Simmons has been significantly more aggressive offensively during the last few weeks, consistently pushing the pace and getting to the rack with ease. In moments where we would often see Ben get into the paint, turn his back to the basket, and look to pass; he has been gunning for the rim with reckless abandon and finishing strong.
If you happened to read our New Years Resolution piece this past month, you’ll know that my resolution for Ben Simmons was just to be more aggressive on offense night in and night out. I wanted him to consistently look to get to the rim and either finish, draw a foul, or kick out to an open shooter.
Throughout the last seven games, Ben Simmons has shown that aggressiveness in almost every game, and many people are starting to theorize as to why that might be.
Is it because there is simply more space for him to get into the paint with Joel Embiid out? Is it because head coach Brett Brown has been finding ways to put Simmons in more advantageous situations? Is it because Simmons is realizing that he has to be the team’s go-to guy offensively now that their best player is hurt?
To me, it is a combination of all of these things.
Yes, there is more space in the paint without Joel Embiid, and that helps Ben Simmons. No, that does not necessarily mean that Ben can’t play this way with Joel on the court.
Head coach Brett Brown has been much more creative in the way he has used Ben Simmons since Joel Embiid went down. Whether that be using Ben in the pick-and-roll with Josh Richardson more often, or running Ben out with multiple shooters as a small-ball five — Joel Embiid’s injury has forced Brown to find more ways to utilize Ben Simmons as a scorer.
This is all true, but for me Ben Simmons success or failure has always been about effort and confidence.
Most of all, I think Joel Embiid’s injury has created a situation where Ben Simmons has been forced to become the teams driving offensive force each game – and this has ramped up Ben’s effort and in turn increased his confidence on offense. It has also opened up the door for head coach Brett Brown to change up the way he uses Ben on offense, and find more ways to play to his strengths rather than play in a style that exposes his weaknesses.
Moving forward, I think that this can be a valuable learning experience for the Philadelphia 76ers.
I am hopeful that coming off of this recent success Ben Simmons will continue to keep his confident, aggressive mindset rolling once Joel Embiid gets back. Additionally, I think that head coach Brett Brown can learn from some of the offensive sets he has been running in Embiid’s absence that have helped get the most out of Simmons abilities on the offensive end.
Again, I truly believe that Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid can succeed together. To me, it is simply a matter of having the right pieces in place to compliment them, and the right coach that puts both guys in the best position to succeed. Obviously, I know this is a task that is easier said than done.
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Whether or not that is the case this year is yet to be determined, but I do think that the last seven games for the Philadelphia 76ers can serve as a blueprint for how to get the most out of Ben Simmons offensively. If head coach Brett Brown can find a way to implement some of this blueprint into games with their best player Joel Embiid back on the court, the Philadelphia 76ers will be very difficult to beat.