USA Today via Reuters
Dec 27, 2020; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons (25) drives to the basket against Cleveland Cavaliers forward Larry Nance Jr. (22) during the second quarter at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
USA Today via Reuters
Dec 27, 2020; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons (25) drives to the basket against Cleveland Cavaliers forward Larry Nance Jr. (22) during the second quarter at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Philadelphia 76ers Ben Simmons has been in the spotlight lately for the wrong reasons. After the 2021 postseason fallout, Simmons decided on moving out of Philadelphia and asked for a trade. With many opinions on the table against Simmons, his teammate Matisse Thybulle defends the star forward.
It all began in Game 7 of the eastern conference semifinals matchup between Philadelphia 76ers and Atlanta Hawks. During the clutch time, Ben Simmons received an opportunity to dunk and even the score, however, he ended up passing it to Philadelphia’s Matisse Thybulle.
Thybulle got fouled after that and made one out of two free throws, leaving the Sixers a point behind yet again.
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USA Today via Reuters
Jun 20, 2021; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) and forward Tobias Harris (12) defend a shot attempt by Atlanta Hawks forward John Collins (20) during the second quarter of game seven of the second round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Criticism poured in for Simmons ever since then. And even his teammates, including Joel Embiid, called it the ‘turning point’ of the game, thus blaming the 3-time NBA All-star for the loss.
Well, it seems like Thybulle doesn’t conform to this. In a recent conversation with JJ Redick, the Sixers player told – “He (Ben Simmons) was thrown under the bus. I lost us the game, which lost us the series & no one really spoke about it. They wanted to talk about passing up the dunk & passing it to me more than my foul.”
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Thybulle says his foul call and not Simmons lost them the game against Trae Young’s army. Following that Philadelphia got defeated in the seven-game series and got pushed out of the 2020-21 season.
Ben Simmons is on the lookout for a new trade destination
Last season, Simmons averaged a low of 14.3 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 6.9 assists during the regular season. He also ranked as the runner-up for the Defensive Player of the Year. I have disappointed many analysts with the 25-year-old, saying he is scared to keep the ball in his hands.
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Ben Simmons told 76ers players he didn’t want to meet with them after they planned to fly to LA to try to convince him to commit for this season, per @ShamsCharania pic.twitter.com/4tLvw12TBA
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 25, 2021
This trading season is a tough road for Simmons. Many teams have been in trade rumors for Simmons, but none have been in the highlight. The star player has a lot to prove next season, but things may take a different turn after Thybulle’s statement, as he was part of that crucial play during the 2021 playoffs.
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