Sixers: Joel Embiid expresses disappointment in Ben Simmons situation

The Sixers started Monday’s media day with a bang. It opened with a joint press conference featuring Daryl Morey and Doc Rivers, followed by a trickling of individual players. There was, naturally, some anticipation building around Joel Embiid’s availability, especially after his fan-related Twitter rant a few weeks ago.

A lot of people expected the Sixers to dance around the Ben Simmons issue. While that was mostly the case — and several players, Embiid included, expressed a desire to get Ben back in the building — there were also blatant rips and critiques of Simmons and his current holdout.

Some of them came from Embiid.

Joel Embiid discussed Ben Simmons at length in his Sixers media day appearance.

Overall, there was a level of grace and understanding in Embiid’s responses that we have come to expect. He expressed a desire to get Simmons back with the team, and was up front in describing the entire situation as “unfortunate.”

Embiid did, however, go on the lob some criticism at Simmons — indirectly. When it comes to trade rumors, Embiid said “we just all gotta grow up. He then emphasized the business-like nature of NBA basketball. He also threw out his own hypothetical. If the Warriors offered Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson in exchange for Embiid, the Sixers would have to say yes… and even Embiid himself would say yes. The general point: what happens, happens. Teams do whatever they can to get better.

On the flip side, Embiid made valid points about the tendency of fans to treat players as commodities, rather than as people. There’s a human side to the Ben Simmons saga that has too often been ignored. The fanbase has every right to express disappointment, yes, but as Embiid notes: not every future star is going to view Philly’s unabashedly harsh criticism as a positive.

The 7-footer also appears bummed out about how this saga is coming to an end. He used the word “disappointment” multiple times, expressing how the team should be focused on getting better and taking the next step.

“Everybody has to be on point.” Obviously, with Simmons not in the building, not everyone can be on point. The Sixers need Simmons to compete at the highest level, and until a trade happens, Philadelphia will be operating at a competitive disadvantage. Most of all, it’s unfortunate for this situation to be unfolding directly after the best season of Joel Embiid’s career. He is in his prime, and the Sixers still haven’t delivered him a summer free from drama or roster overhaul.

For the Sixers, it’s now wait-and-see with Simmons. He probably won’t come back, but if Daryl Morey and ownership are truly willing to take this deep into the regular season, there’s always the potential for recalibration from Simmons and his camp.