NBA Rumors: Philadelphia 76ers Star Guard May Be Suffering From Yips

With the Philadelphia 76ers' surprising Game 7 loss to the Atlanta Hawks, fans may have just seen the end of Ben Simmons’ time in the “City of Brotherly Love”.

Other than the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks, the Sixers were seen as the favorites to come out of the East and vie for an NBA title this season.

After all, Joel Embiid has been playing like an MVP all season when he wasn’t sidelined due to COVID protocols or dealing with a knee injury that kept him out for around three weeks.

Philly was able to secure the No. 1 seed in the East for the first time in 20 years, the last time being when Allen Iverson dragged the Sixers to the Finals against the Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant-led Los Angeles Lakers.

Years of “The Process” allowed the Sixers to build this team from scratch, and when they came together, they were one of the best teams in the NBA.

Embiid carried the team on his back through most of it and Simmons’ pass-first playmaking ability allowed the rest of the pieces to rally around Embiid.

However, therein lies the biggest problem for Simmons.

The Sixers were one game away from a matchup with Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks but had to put away Trae Young and the Hawks in Game 7.

Game 7 saw both teams squander leads and regain them throughout most of the game, but it was Simmons’ lack of an offensive game that spelled doom for Philly.

While the Australian isn’t particularly known for his offensive game, he was able to put up 14.3 points in the regular season on 55.7% shooting from the field, according to Basketball Reference.

But for some reason, he was just scoring 11.9 points per contest throughout the playoffs. However, this has been the biggest knock on him by critics.

Simmons had the makings of a potential one-two punch with Embiid once he gets his shooting touch in order.

When he was drafted by the Sixers in the 2016 NBA draft, they knew he couldn't shoot, but he made up for it because he was aggressive and was able to orchestrate the perfect play at the perfect time.

Four seasons have passed and, Simmons hasn't consistently hit a jump shot or improve his free-throw shooting percentage in the NBA .

Head coach Doc Rivers has mentioned that he believes that Simmons has now finally awakened to the situation and that his 6-foot-11 All-Star point guard knows what to do.

Simmons’ inability to sink free throws in any capacity essentially left the Sixers having to rely on Embiid, Tobias Harris, and Seth Curry to score.

Through his four-year career, "regular season Simmons" was shooting a palatable but definitely putrid 60% from the free throw line.

Meanwhile, "playoff Simmons" attempted 70 free throws in the entire postseason and finished with 34.2%, making him the worst free throw shooter in playoff history.

How can a team look at a fourth-year player that has no offensive game, apart from being able to lay the ball up, and say that he’s still part of the future?

However, Simmons signed a five-year, $177 million extension prior to the 2020-21 season, meaning that he’ll hit free agency in the summer of 2025.

But here’s the thing: Simmons can actually shoot. Albeit, in an empty gym.

It looks like the problem here is similar to that of Markell Fultz’s well-documented shooting woes.

If Simmons does have a reluctance to shoot the ball when it matters most, then this might definitely be an on-court performance issue rather than not having the skills and the form to pull off a jump shot.

While he's not supremely accurate when it comes to taking jump shots, by simply taking around four or five shots in a game, it'll force defenders to at least guard him, whether he makes those shots or not.

Over time, as he gradually increases his jump shots, so too will the chances of him making one happen.

When that starts to happen, then maybe the Sixers have a shot once again at reaching the Eastern Conference Finals.

As the old basketball saying goes, "shooters shoot".

Many are imploring the Sixers organization to trade Ben Simmons, but with his value having sunken to the bottom of the Mariana Trench, they may have a hard time finding a partner to take him.

After all, his hesitancy to shoot looks to be solvable if given the right help and environment.

The Sixers and Simmons have their work cut out for them this offseason and they know it.