Philadelphia 76ers: Would Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid be better off without each other?

Philadelphia 76ers’ stars Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid would be better served playing on separate teams because their skillsets overlap, causing them to cannibalize each other

There is a mistaken notion in the NBA that teams must accumulate as many good players as possible to have success.

According NBA.com, the first tried and true “Superteam” was the 1968-69 Los Angeles Lakers with Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West and Elgin Baylor. While that trio failed to win any championships in three seasons together, it has been the Superteams that followed that have created this misconception.

In the last decade, the Miami Heat and Golden State Warriors each have won two championships a piece. That’s why it comes as no surprise why only two days after they got eliminated from the playoffs, Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown said:

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"“I think that another high-level free agent is required. I feel like we have the ability to attract one.”"

However, accumulating superior talent isn’t always beneficial. In fact, in some cases, their skillsets overlap, causing them to cannibalize each other.

A prime example of this is the 76ers themselves as they have TWO players in Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons who need to use the paint at all times, with Embiid having a variety of post moves in his repertoire (quick drop-steps, jump hooks, and turn-around jumpers) and Simmons known for his ability to find open teammates with superb passes.

Prior to Ben Simmons playing for the Sixers, Joel Embiid manned the paint on his own, averaging 6.8 post ups per game which was 2.8 more than any other player on the team. Upon Simmons joining in this past year, the team came to thoroughly dominate the paint, coming in second only to the Spurs in the league in post up plays with 883 possessions, according to NBA.com. They became a better “individual” team.

However, even though the post ups helped Ben and Joel showcase their individual talents, one could argue that it was at the expense of the team as a whole. In fact, every time one of them would post up, the other one would stand behind the 3-point line in the role of a spot up shooter, when in fact they are both below average shooters.

According to Basketball-Reference.com, they shoot 32.7 percent and 0 percent, respectively from behind the arc. This is significantly below the league average in 3-point percentage for this past season (36.2%). This puts the opposing team in a good position defensively, as the defense can now afford to leave the player who doesn’t have the ball wide open and provide help elsewhere.

Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid would be better served playing on separate teams to get most out of their careers. Right now, Ben is a stuck in an offensive system where he is either posting up or standing behind the 3-point line as a bystander, not having yet developed a shot.

His skillset dictates that he should be in an offense similar to LeBron James, where he can dribble the ball to the 3-point line and analyze the entire defense. We have already seen a glimpse into what life without Embiid would look like for Ben back when Joel missed the last 8 games of the regular season due to facial fractures. Simmons led the team to an eight-game winning streak averaging 15.6 points per game with 9.3 assists and 9.5 rebounds.

The eight-game stretch saw a miniscule dip in points with a slight increase in assists and rebounds from his season averages as he averaged 15.8 points per game with 8.2 assists and 8.1 rebounds. Joel Embiid, in turn, would excel in the current system he is in, but with a shooter/cutter, i.e. Klay Thompson or Devin Booker, in place of Simmons. It would fill the defensive holes in the current Sixers team.

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What do we know now? The Philadelphia 76ers team as currently structured is not a superteam positioned to win it all.