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LA Lakers legend Magic Johnson appeared on ESPN’s KJZ show to give his take on the Game 7 loss of the Philadelphia 76ers and in particular Ben Simmons. The Sixers point guard left fans angry and disappointed with his performance in the Eastern Conference semi-final series against the Atlanta Hawks.
Ben Simmons’ defense was questionable and his offense was lacking altogether. He was obviously afraid to hold the ball because he risked being fouled and sent to the charity band, where his difficulties are painfully apparent. He has become more passive than one would like and only attempted five field goals in four consecutive second halves.
Magic Johnson is arguably the greatest playmaker in NBA history. Almost all analysts agree with Johnson’s greatness and what he’s done for basketball. Magic giving his opinion on Ben Simmons speaks volumes and sweet as he is, though he couldn’t help but criticize the Australian-born point guard.
“Well … it’s time for a change because he can’t get over it. The locker room won’t get over it. And so when they went to ‘Hack-a-Shaq’, basically ‘Hack -a- Simmons, that just killed him. “
Magic continued to break down the game further and what ultimately caused this upheaval, saying:
They gave away game 5. First, you close this game [and] we wouldn’t be talking about Ben Simmons. All summer they’re going to point to Game 5 … You get to Game 5 and they started at the end, fouling up Simmons and that brought him out right away. Look at game 6, it acts like it’s not in game 6 and it carried over to game 7.
But the emphasis was on the fact that Ben Simmons was out of Philadelphia. Magic reiterated saying,
“Yeah, he must be somewhere else. The locker room and the fans [is over with, people can’t trust him]. It’s finish. It’s finish. You can’t get over it “Was Magic Johnson’s conviction justified? Magic Johnson on ESPN KJZ
As mentioned earlier, Magic Johnson is arguably the best point guard of all time. So his analysis and breakdown of the game is far more valuable than any analyst you will find. That being said, it’s clearly not a knee-jerk reaction to Ben Simmons’ game. The NBA has been waiting for a decent jump shot from Simmons for over three years now. He showed no dedication or heart to working on his game and even his former coach Brett Brown has publicly stated that he is “giving up” Ben Simmons.
Simmons’ screening report before the 2018 NBA Draft said he had not shown a passion for the game. The Aussie had no desire to improve and it looks like he is. more focused on the celebrity and glamor side of being an NBA star. Surprisingly, his averages have remained constant since his rookie season. The number of NBA players almost always grows after their rookie year, but Simmons’ does not. It’s amazing how comfortable he is staying the same.
Ben Simmons Q4 in this series: Game 1: 2-2 FGGame 2: 0-0 FGGame 3: 1-1 FGGame 4: 0-0 FGGame 5: 0-0 FGGame 6: 0-0 FGGame 7: 0-0 FG
Tom Haberstroh (@tomhaberstroh) June 21, 2021
Despite being more of a defensive player and playmaker, Young has averaged 29 points in his streak. Simmons was the main defender of the majority of possessions. Simmons’ lack of confidence affected his play on both ends of the pitch and he couldn’t play when he was visibly afraid to hold the ball.
Did Ben Simmons play his last game in Philadelphia? Ben Simmons with the Philadelphia 76ers
Ben Simmons apparently played his last game as a Philadelphia 76ers player. Not only is he being taunted by fans and the media, even his teammates and coach have not supported him.
Simmons let an open layup / dunk go by and fans erupted in anger and dissatisfaction. He passed the ball to Matisse Thybulle who then suffered a foul and made one of his two free throws. Joel Embiid was visibly frustrated with his co-star for not playing his best as he played himself despite an injury trying to do so.
Joel Embiid spoke up after the game and was asked when it tipped the scales in favor of the Atlanta Hawks. He said:
“I’m going to be honest – I don’t know how to put it – but I thought the turning point was we had an open shot, we missed and we gave a free throw.”
It was clearly a shot on Ben Simmons who was the player in question regarding the open dunk / layup.
His current coach Doc Rivers was even asked if Ben Simmons could be a leader on a championship team and Rivers responded by saying
“Yeah … I don’t know that question or the answer to it yet”
It’s becoming pretty clear that Ben Simmons has lost all faith in the Philadelphia 76ers fan base. It should come as no surprise when business rumors start popping up with his name included in the package.
Therefore, to conclude, Magic Johnson is clearly justified in criticizing Ben Simmons and it was not a knee-jerk reaction.
Also read: From Ben Simmons to Portland Trail Blazers: A Booming Business or a Free Falling Business for Both Parties?
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