The 76ers star took to Twitter on Wednesday morning and offered a strong response to a report from USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt stating that the “Simmons-Embiid rift had been escalating” and went beyond Embiid’s comments after Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. After the Hawks eliminated the Sixers, Embiid called Simmons’ decision to pass out of an open dunk in the fourth quarter a “turning point” in the contest.
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With Simmons trade mania at a fever pitch following a separate report indicating that the former No. 1 overall pick wants out of Philadelphia and doesn’t plan on showing up for training camp, Embiid felt it was time for him to put his thoughts on the record.
“Stop using my name to push people’s agendas,” Embiid tweeted. “I love and hate drama. I love playing with Ben. Stats don’t lie. He’s an amazing player and we all didn’t get the job done. It’s on me personally. I hope everyone is back [because] we know we’re good enough to win. … From my own experience, y’all have no idea how much this media makes up stuff for followers and shame on you for believing them.”
The NBA MVP runner-up later added that he hadn’t forgotten about the harsh criticism he received in previous years and told Sixers fans that they needed to “be better.”
Let’s stick to the main topic at hand here: the Simmons-Embiid dynamic.
Embiid isn’t wrong about the stats when he plays with Simmons. As 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey will be happy to tell you, lineups featuring Embiid and Simmons haven’t just worked — they have excelled. However, it was a different story last season when they played separately, particularly when Simmons logged minutes without Embiid.
While Philly did flame out spectacularly in the playoffs, it is worth noting that the Sixers finished with the best record in the Eastern Conference during the regular season (49-23) and the third-best record overall behind the Jazz (52-20) and Suns (51-21). So yes, this team is absolutely good enough to win games, and it was good enough to advance to at least the Eastern Conference finals.
It’s admirable that Embiid wants to stick up for his teammate — though he should have done that back in June — but it’s clear there is a fit problem despite all of the positive numbers.
Simmons is stellar in several areas, but his unwillingness to shoot midrange jumpers let alone 3-pointers has mucked up the 76ers’ offense for years. His inability to hit free throws makes him a liability at the end of playoff games and puts more pressure on Embiid. (Look no further than the Sixers’ Game 5 collapse against the Hawks.) How much more can the big man really do?
Even if Simmons and Embiid are on good terms, it’s hard to envision a scenario in which Simmons returns to Philadelphia and the team finds success. Embiid is known for his social media skills, but a few tweets aren’t going to fix this.
