Sixers: What does Ben Simmons’ suspension mean?

The Sixers have suspended Ben Simmons for the team’s season opener on Wednesday, Oct. 20 for “conduct detrimental to the team” after Doc Rivers ejected the All-Star point guard from practice. With the season officially underway, Philadelphia must now balance the ongoing trade saga with the end goal of winning games and building team chemistry.

While Doc Rivers has said Simmons will be “welcomed” at the next Sixers practice, the reason for Simmons’ dismissal on Tuesday — the day he was supposed to finally address reporters — shines a new light on the situation. Simmons reportedly refused to sub into a defensive drill, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, and was simply told by Rivers to “go home.”

What does Ben Simmons’ suspension mean for him and the Sixers?

Charania’s report confirms a great deal of suspicion regarding Simmons’ return to market — while also expanding on it rather prolifically. Not only is the LSU product mentally checked out, but he is refusing to interact with most teammates and staffers. In his post-practice media session on Tuesday, Joel Embiid said he has not spoken to Simmons since his arrival, before going on to say it’s not his job to “babysit” the 25-year-old as he reacclimates to the team.

Simmons sandbagging it was always a possibility, and it’s easy to write this off as another tactic in the ongoing attempt to force a trade. If Simmons makes the situation entirely untenable, it could force Daryl Morey into swift action. At least, that would be the hope in Simmons’ camp. The Sixers don’t want to waste another year of Embiid’s prime — that much is certain.

That said, Charania’s report does work to cast the situation in a different light. According to a source, Simmons is “willing to play” but is not mentally prepared to rejoin the team yet. While that particularly note has been largely scoffed at and dismissed by the Sixers fanbase, it’s hard not to see a kernel of truth (or at least possible truth).

Let us be frank: the Simmons situation is deeply unfortunate for both player and franchise. Obviously, had Simmons performed up to his contract in the playoffs, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. A large portion of the “blame,” so to speak, is on Simmons for his long-running inability to grow as an offensive player. That said, Simmons did embarrass himself on national television, and a recent report from ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne detailed the potential psychological fallout of such a public failure.

It is abundantly clear that Simmons desires and needs a fresh start. There’s a debate to be had about whether he is handling this situation correctly, but it’s not hard to empathize with the beleaguered All-Star to a certain degree. Simmons made it clear he wants out, and has since been forced to report to a work environment he wants no part of. And, if fan backlash and the burden of expectations in Philadelphia have truly gotten to him, then how could one expect him to show up in Philly with his A-game?

If Simmons needs time to get back in rhythm and regain confidence ahead of a return to the Sixers lineup, great. The team should probably give him the space. Unfortunately, there are dueling interests at play here, and the Sixers have every right to expect Simmons to show up and fulfill the obligations of his contract.

It is impossible to know how much of this is Simmons’ shaken confidence, and how much of it is a calculated ploy to loosen the gears in the trade machine. Only Ben Simmons lives inside Ben Simmons’ head. That said, the situation feels more untenable by the day. Embiid is not pulling punches, and it’s hard to imagine every practice and game going smoothly from here on out. Can we truthfully expect Simmons to open the season at home, against Brooklyn, on national television with an entire home crowd at his throat? We will see come Friday, but consider me skeptical.

We’re in for a long and uncomfortable season, whether Simmons does indeed suit up, or he ends up back on his couch in L.A. waiting for a trade. The Sixers don’t seem prepared to budge, and Morey has four years of contractual obligation to wield over Simmons, but a trade is inevitable. It has to happen at some point. No one is operating under the delusion that Simmons can, or should, stay in Philly long term. That’s out the window.