Philadelphia 76ers: Has Ben Simmons turned the corner?

The Philadelphia 76ers need more of Ben Simmons’ newfound confidence moving forward.

After a sluggish start to the season, many began to question Ben Simmons‘ future with the franchise. His season averages are still underwhelming — 12.9 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 8.1 assists per game. His lack of confidence and courage as a scorer, especially at the rim, hamstrung his production significantly.

That said, the Philadelphia 76ers’ 6-foot-10 wunderkind has turned a corner over the past two games. His last five quarters of basketball have been arguably his best of the season. First, he flipped a switch in the fourth quarter against Boston on Friday. He made several clutch baskets down the stretch, and stifled the Celtics’ offense on the other end. Then, at Saturday, he put together his best game of the season in Detroit.

Early in the season, Simmons’ lack of aggressiveness was glaring. He has never been a fearless driver, but for reasons unknown, Simmons has been egregiously contact-averse for much of January. Against Detroit, he paraded to the charity stripe 12 times — making 10 of them. That’s half of his season-high 20 points coming from the free throw line.

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Simmons won’t shoot 83 percent from the line every night, but he needs to embrace the opportunity for freebies. He is a physical, explosive 6-foot-10 athlete. When he gets downhill and forces his way to the rim, the defense is almost always compromised. Simmons is an elite finisher when he has his mind made up, and fear of the charity stripe cannot deter him from maximizing his physical talent.

The Sixers need Simmons to keep his newfound aggressiveness up, even with Embiid putting together an MVP campaign. He needs to look the part of a serious No. 2 if Philadelphia wants any chance of competing in the playoffs.

That said, it does feel as if Simmons has turned a corner. Before the season, I ranked Simmons as the 17th best player in basketball. While my confidence in that number has wavered, I remain confident in Simmons’ ability to positively impact winning. He has unavoidable holes in his game, but when he’s right, the 24-year-old is one of the best two-way forces in the game.

Simmons will throw his name in the Defensive Player of the Year hat. He is the first player in 15 games to hold Jerami Grant below 21 points as his primary defender. Simmons has made countless clutch plays on the defensive end in recent games. If he starts putting it together offensively, it will only elevate his confidence both ways.

It has become a habit to worry about Simmons in recent weeks. While it is clear Simmons is not the ideal star to pair with Embiid — and the Sixers should focus on elevating Embiid to the highest extent possible — the Sixers cannot panic. Simmons was clearly in a slump to begin the season, and now he seems to finally be free of it. Poor fit and all, Simmons and Embiid have historically dominated together. Embiid’s profuse praise of the chemistry between him and Simmons should only encourage the front office.

The Sixers should be open to trading Simmons if the right trade becomes available. If the Wizards want to discuss Bradley Beal, discuss it. That said, the Sixers cannot trade Simmons for the sake of trading Simmons. That was never the right response to his early-season woes. Zach LaVine looks great, but he is not better than Simmons. Even in context of an Embiid partnership.

There are very few defenders — if any — who have more utility in a playoff setting than Ben Simmons. Offensively, he remains innately gifted at facilitating in the open court, getting downhill, and creating open 3s for teammates. He will need to do more in the halfcourt to regain the trust of fans, but his last two games are a good start. If he can get back to All-Star form, you can expect the trade buzz to die down. There’s no longer a player of James Harden’s caliber on the market.

This has been an exceedingly strange and unpredictable NBA season. With COVID running rampant, teams — the Sixers included — have struggled to keep full-strength groups on the floor. When you factor in Simmons’ return from a knee injury, as well as the change in system and new personnel, it’s not hard to forgive a few rough games out of the gate. He has a long way to go, but it does feel like Simmons has turned the page on a brutal start.