Getty Ben Simmons #10 of the Brooklyn Nets picks up a loose ball on the court.
After how things unfolded last year, Philadelphia 76ers fans are more than willing to take a jab at Ben Simmons when the opportunity presents itself. This time, they went above and beyond to point out the former No. 1 pick’s biggest pitfalls.
Since entering the NBA in 2017, Simmons has never been a strong free-throw shooter. In the four seasons he’s taken the court, his highest percentage from the line is 62.1% (2019-20). Simmons’ numbers dipped even lower once the postseason rolled around.
During the 2021 playoffs, Simmons found himself on the wrong end of the history books. His 34.2% is the lowest for a player in NBA history, according to StatMuse. Arguably his worst outing came in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals when he shot an abysmal 4-for-14.
Outside of basketball, one of Simmons’ biggest hobbies is playing video games. The three-time All-Star is regularly on the streaming platform Twitch, where he live streams as he plays. After digging into the numbers, one fan uncovered that Simmons has a higher kill/death ratio in Call of Duty than his free-throw percentages from the last two years combined.
NBA Twitter Trolls Potenital Ben Simmons/Russell Westbrook Pairing
While it first looked like Ben Simmons was rewarded for his holdout by being dealt to the Brooklyn Nets, that opinion has changed dramatically. With news of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving being shopped in trades, he could be the team’s lone All-Star by the time the regular season rolls around.
Currently, the Los Angeles Lakers are the frontrunner to land Kyrie Irving. If a deal happens, Russell Westbrook will likely be sent to Brooklyn to make things work from a salary-matching perspective. Since Westbrook is another poor outside shooter, NBA Twitter had fun discussing the potential pairing.
The backboard after a Ben Simmons and Russell Westbrook workout
Russell Westbrook passing the ball to Ben Simmons this winter.
Live look at the rim after a season of Ben Simmons and Russell Westbrook on the same team
Y’all send a prayer up for those Brooklyn rims… it’s about to get ugly after what Ben Simmons and Russel Westbrook will do to them with all due respect
For his career, Westbrook is a 30.5% shooter from beyond the arc. This past season for the Lakers, the former MVP only connected on 29.8% of his threes while attempting just over three per game.
Sixers Have no Interest in Trading For Kyrie Irving
Since the news emerged of Brooklyn shopping Kyrie Irving, the Sixers have been a team often mentioned as a possible landing spot. When discussing the latest intel on the status of Irving and Kevin Durant, Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer cited that the Sixers have no real interest in acquiring the seven-time All-Star.
Irving’s status is of course connected to Durant’s trade outcome as well, but his number of possible outcomes seems far fewer than Ayton’s. While the Mavericks and Sixers have been discussed as theoretical destinations for Irving, league sources contacted by B/R have strongly discounted Dallas and Philadelphia’s interest in the All-Star guard.
In the 29 games Irving played for the Nets last year, he averaged 27.4 PPG, 4.4 RPG, and 5.8 APG.
While the Sixers appear to be out on Irving, the same cannot be said about his All-Star counterpart. Reports have surfaced that they are among the teams who have already reached out to the Nets’ front office to discuss a possible trade for Kevin Durant. If Daryl Morey did want to pull off a deal of this magnitude, a return package is expected to be based around Tobias Harris, Tyrese Maxey, and Matisse Thybulle.