Sixers: Ben Simmons will never be the alpha

This week on the latest episode of “As Ben Simmons‘ World Turns”, everyone’s favorite soap opera, it came to light that Simmons’ primary reason for wanting to leave the Sixers has nothing to do with all of the other excuses thrown out this summer, and is simply because he wants to get  away from Joel Embiid so that he can be “the man”.

As reported by Sam Amick of The Athletic and confirmed by Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer, Ben Simmons and Klutch Sports would like him to go somewhere he can be the number one option and become the face of the organization.  Evidently his marketing group believes that he could be a Giannis Antetokounmpo-type Alpha male if he were with a different franchise.

The primary flaw with this thinking is that Simmons has never given anyone the impression that he is capable of being that guy.  Never. Not once in four years.  His fans will cry, “But wait, look at what he did in that Utah game last year against Rudy Gobert when Joel wasn’t playing!”  How about if instead we look at all of the games Ben played without Joel when he just disappeared for long stretches and never took the game by the throat?  One or two good games does not make you an Alpha.

Ben Simmons will never be the player he thinks he is, even if he leaves the Sixers.

That’s what we are really talking about here.  The type of player who is capable of being a “franchise player” and contending for MVP awards has to be able to constantly and consistently take over the game for his team.  He can pass some times, he has to be able to shoot other times, but he must always be trying to make a play. Not only down the stretch of every close game, but in every playoff series.  Simmons simply does not have the mental makeup necessary to be a true Alpha dog in the NBA, where every guy who comes up has been “the man” at one point or another and only really special players stand out as feared game changers.  He has shown us who he really is for four years.

He puts up his biggest numbers against poor teams.  His only 3s have been against bad teams or in games that were out of reach.  He disappears for long periods of big games and playoff series.  He goes long stretches without even looking at the rim.  Yes, his numbers look pretty good, until you factor in that he has either regressed or remained static in every category since entering the league.

He averages 15 points a game, but almost entirely at the rim, unless the defense takes that away, in which case he just passes.  He averages eight assists a game, but it’s fair to wonder how many assists anyone would average if they made 40+ passes per game to professional shooters, frequently with the clock winding down when they had no choice but to shoot.  And yes, eight rebounds per game, but those are mostly long rebound floor boards, not the result of banging inside with the big boys.

His interviews have told us for years that he is a Beta, not an Alpha.  Whenever pressed to accept responsibility for his own actions or poor play, his response is always to point out the poor play of others or try to comment on the things that he did do well.  He passes the buck better than he passes the rock. Now think of classic NBA Alpha males. Kobe. Jordan. Garnett. Bird. Shaq. Giannis. These are guys who always look the interviewer or the camera straight on after a poor performance and say “That’s right.  I played terrible.  It’s my fault we lost and I’m going to handle it”.  And those words would strike terror into the opposition because they would punish you the next game after comments like that.

An Alpha will always, always try to take over the game when it counts, by any means necessary.  Great players know that it doesn’t  matter how, you just try to make a play.  Then do it again, and again.  Maybe one trip down they lay off you, so you shoot the jumper, then the next time down you screen and force a mismatch, posting up a smaller guy.  Then you back someone down and either hit the open man or shoot the turnaround.  If they double you, attack aggressively and make the best play, either try to score or pass out for the open 3.  But no matter what, at all times you must be in attack mode and you can never let your defender off the hook.

If you are an Alpha personality, it cannot be hidden.  It spills out into every part of what you do on the court.  Alphas will open a vein or run through a wall to get a win.  When Shaq played with Kobe, both guys were Alphas and it may have led to head butting, but every game both guys tried to take over the game.  Both guys would have stepped on their grandmother to win a game. Simmons is not Batman, he’s Robin.  He’s not Butch Cassidy, he’s the Sundance Kid.  He’s a classic second fiddle.

The presence of our own Alpha, Joel Embiid, is not preventing Ben from becoming “the man”, Simmons simply is not that guy.  And he never will be. He shrinks when the spotlight gets hot, can’t handle the pressure, and doesn’t want the responsibility of being a leader.  If this summer is any indicator he has no clue about what a leader should do.

Ben Simmons is not capable of being the guy leading the entourage, he just enjoys getting his picture taken with pretty girls and being seen at the party.  Because it seems that celebrity status is what matters to him.  He wants to hear people tell him how great he is, and that is yet another reason why he will always be a Beta.  A true Alpha’s game will not be affected by what the media is saying, or how hot the spotlight is getting.  They simply cannot help but be who they are, a guy who will give every second of effort to try to win the game, whether it means scoring, passing, defending, rebounding, whatever it takes.  Not shooting would mean not putting pressure on the defense, and it would be unthinkable.

It is often said that “Winners forget that they are in a race. They just love to run.”  This is true of an Alpha personality also.  It can’t be turned on and off.  It is tattooed on their soul and they will always be that way.  They could never shrink in a big game because all they know how to do is try to take over the game.  The cameras and crowds disappear and all that  exists is the game and that moment. They may fail, they may miss every shot, they may lose, but it will never, ever be because they did not try to take over the big game, or the big series.

An Alpha will always try to take charge and impose his will.  Does anyone think that sounds like Ben Simmons?  Getting away from Philadelphia and Joel Embiid will not change who he is.  Simmons will always be a Beta.  A guy who is happiest as the second banana or the star on a terrible team, probably complaining about not having better  players around him.  Because it will never be his fault.  Because he will never be an Alpha. Give Ben what he wants, ship him out and let him be “the man” on some piddling little team with no future.  Everyone here is ready for the Simmons soap opera to move on.