Joel Embiid Discusses 76ers Fans' Criticism Of, Relationship with Ben Simmons

Joel Embiid thinks Philadelphia 76ers fans turned on Ben Simmons because certain elements of his game never improved during his four seasons with the team. 

Appearing on The Old Man and the Three podcast (h/t CBS Sports' James Herbert), Embiid said Sixers fans "didn't feel like they were heard" in terms of the reasons they were critical of Simmons: 

"I think it was more so they didn't feel like they were heard. You know how much they wanted him to shoot the ball, how much they wanted him to be better in their own ways. He's a great basketball player, he does so much stuff on the basketball court that people should pay attention [to], but they also felt like, from Year 1 to whatever year that was for him, they didn't see any improvement. I think that's the way I kind of understand [it]. Because even when you look back at all the years, like, what was the biggest thing they wanted him to do? Shoot 3s or free throws or whatever that was—shooting in general."

Embiid went on to say that Sixers fans probably just reached a point where they "just felt like it had been so long and there was no changes" to Simmons' style of play. 

The biggest criticism of Simmons over the years has been his reluctance to shoot the ball away from the basket. It became a running gag during training camp every year that he was working on his jumper. 

Things seemed to come to a head for the Sixers and Simmons during last year's postseason loss to the Atlanta Hawks.

Embiid and head coach Doc Rivers publicly questioned Simmons after he passed up an open layup to dish the ball to Matisse Thybulle late in the fourth quarter of Game 7 against the Hawks. 

When asked if Simmons could be the point guard of a championship team, Rivers said he didn't know the answer to that question at the moment. 

Simmons did practice with the Sixers a couple of times during the preseason, but he left the team prior to the start of the regular season after ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the three-time All-Star told his teammates and Sixers staff members he wasn't mentally ready to play. 

Philadelphia ultimately traded Simmons, Andre Drummond, Seth Curry and two future first-round picks to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for James Harden and Paul Millsap on Feb. 10. 

The Embiid-Simmons pairing was instrumental in turning the 76ers' fortunes around. They led the team to four consecutive postseason appearances from 2018 to 2021. 

Embiid is playing at an MVP level for the Sixers, who are currently the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference. He is averaging 29.9 points, 11.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game. 

Simmons has yet to play this season. The 25-year-old recently received an epidural to alleviate some of the back pain that has been causing him problems.