Philadelphia 76ers: 3 takeaways from 2019 NBA offseason
By Alec Liebsch
2. Simmons is as important as Embiid
People who watch the Sixers less often will scoff at this header. Simmons has been marginalized in back-to-back postseasons, sometimes vanishing for minutes at a time. How can he be as valuable as the man who just got named to All-NBA second team?
Ask the front office. Every addition they’ve made to this roster not only satisfies Brett Brown’s manifesto, but also fits around Simmons quite well. The minutes sans Embiid always have had Simmons on the court, and vice versa, due to their less-than-ideal fit together.
Those non-Embiid minutes will now mostly include Horford, which is exactly the big you want with Simmons. Harris will get run next to both pillars, and he’s a great fit with either one.
The army of wings at Philly’s disposal are perfect for transition spurts; imagining lobs from Simmons to Smith puts a smile on everyone’s faces.
Simmons-wings-Horford is quite similar to the ideal lineup the Bucks put around Giannis Antentokoumnpo this past season.
Simmons isn’t Giannis, but he’s of that mold (height of a big, with the skills of a guard and the body to defend anyone), so having shooters around him is almost a no-brainer.
Oh, and then there’s that contract extension. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Fresh Prince will be staying in Philly on a hefty deal:
Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons has agreed to a five-year, $170 million maximum contract extension, agent Rich Paul tells @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 15, 2019
This is good not only to quiet the “tRaDE beN SimMonS” noise that’s been poisoning segments of the fan base, but also because Simmons is a ridiculous talent with one flaw. Of course he needs to develop that jump shot, but with the right pieces around him, he’s a monster.
He’s never played with a big who can consistently shoot besides Embiid. He’s never had this many complementary wings to drop dimes on for easy buckets.
Redick was only deployed with Embiid and there only so many minutes a night involved all three of them. Jimmy Butler took the ball out of his hands simply because Butler felt like it.
For everything that Embiid provides, Simmons can add just as much, just in different ways.