Ben Simmons was horrible for the Philadelphia 76ers last night as they were eliminated from the playoffs by the Atlanta Hawks. Now, the 76ers will have to go home for the summer and think about what comes next, as "The Process" simply hasn't worked out as it was supposed to. At this point, Simmons' future in Philadelphia seems bleak, and there plenty of pundits who believe the Sixers need to move on and explore other options and the point guard position.
Stephen A. Smith was particularly blunt this morning as he spoke about how the Philadelphia fanbase isn't going to forget Simmons' recent performance. In fact, Smith believes he has fallen out of favor with the fans to the point where the Sixers have no choice but to trade him.
"Ben Simmons has got to go," Smith said. "That city ain’t ever gonna forgive him for what they have seen. Not just that he missed shots, but he didn’t take them. Ben Simmons is literally scared to shoot the basketball."
Simmons scored five points in the pivotal Game 7 and he only took four shots. It was a pretty abysmal showing from a player who was touted as the next LeBron James and fans are starting to get fed up. Daryl Morey will have a lot to figure out in the offseason although it's almost a guarantee that Simmons will be a part of trade rumors throughout the summer.