Ever since the Philadelphia 76ers were ousted in the playoffs by the Atlanta Hawks in Round 2, there have been constant trade rumors involving Sixers star Ben Simmons. There were already whispers in the playoffs, but those whispers turned into loud shouting after scoring only five points on four shots in Game 7.
Simmons shot only 34.2% from the free-throw line in the postseason and teams exploited that by going to the Hack-a-Ben strategy in order to send him to the line and to throw Philadelphia out of rhythm on offense. It was a glaring weakness despite being able to do everything else at a high level.
Sharpshooter Seth Curry, who shot 45% from deep in his first season playing next to Simmons with the Sixers, was asked about the trade rumors involving the 3-time All-Star and he had this to say:
I know everybody’s talking about different things our team can do. I love playing with Ben. He made me a better player, individually. He made our team better all season long. He’s still a great player. He obviously had a rough playoffs and we know that story but I mean, the front office is gonna do whatever is best for the team. I’m sure of it and if that means Ben coming back, I hope for it and I’m looking forward to playing with him again. He’s a great player. He made me better as a player and I know he’s gonna be in the gym working hard too.
Coach Doc Rivers continues to express his belief in Simmons and that he will get in the gym with him and the coaching staff in order to improve his offensive game. If Simmons can come back with at least a better free-throw percentage, then the Sixers can become a much more dangerous team due to his size and skill at the basket.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
List
Former Sixers scout evaluates potential draft targets, upside, and fit
