Ben Simmons Rumors: 76ers Star Met with Team-Recommended Mental Health Specialist

Philadelphia 76ers power forward Ben Simmons reportedly has met with mental health specialist recommended by the team, according to a report from ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski:

Earlier on Monday, Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported that the Sixers have begun "testing the validity of Simmons' pursuit of mental health assistance. The 76ers have become increasingly irritated with Simmons’ lack of providing further clarity on the matter to them and have threatened to return to their daily fines for events that the organization feels he is not participating in, such as games, practices, shootarounds and strength and conditioning workouts."

Charania added that Simmons "has provided the organization with the names of each of his mental health professionals," but had not felt comfortable with any of the mental health specialists on Philadelphia's staff. 

Simmons, who reportedly requested a trade away from the Sixers this summer, has not appeared in any games for the team this season. The organization had been fining Simmons for his absences from the team before he reported to practice last month, only to be kicked out of a shootaround and fined by the team for not fully participating. 

On Oct. 22, Simmons reportedly met with head coach Doc Rivers and the rest of the team and said he wasn't mentally prepared to return to the team.

Since that meeting, Charania reported the power forward has been "engaged around the team in the facility and at home shootarounds. He has been conducting one-on-none workouts, participating in intense shooting drills with teammate Tyrese Maxey and receiving back treatment from the training staff."

Additionally, he has been meeting with mental health professionals, though the rift between the team and Simmons appeared to be that the Sixers didn't feel they were being kept in the loop on his timetable to return to the team. 

Simmons, 25, became something of a scapegoat after the top-seeded Sixers were surprisingly eliminated in the Eastern Conference Semifinals by the Atlanta Hawks in seven games. Simmons attempted just three shots in the fourth quarters of that series and infamously passed up a wide-open dunk in Game 7, instead passing the ball to Matisse Thybulle. 

One of the knocks on Simmons has always been his unwillingness to shoot the ball from the perimeter and his struggles from the free-throw line (59.7 percent for his career). The belief is that his struggles from the line have caused him to less aggressively attack the basket, especially in key moments, so as to avoid the possibility of missing his free throws.

Teams have also adopted a "hack-a-Simmons" approach at times in games, purposefully fouling him in the fourth quarter and sending him to the line. 

It still seems likely that Simmons' days in Philadelphia are numbered. But until a trade happens, the Sixers are eager to get him back on the court. Monday's news that he's met with a team-appointed specialist is a good sign for his possible return to the court.