Philadelphia 76ers: Commitment to Ben Simmons is the right move

At least for the time being, the Philadelphia 76ers are throwing their support system behind Ben Simmons.

One day after seemingly throwing him under the bus, it seems as if the Philadelphia 76ers aren’t entirely ready to move on from Ben Simmons. Or at least without giving him a shot at rebuilding his reputation as a budding star.

"[via ESPN]76ers coach Doc Rivers said Monday that he believes this summer will be different for Simmons. Why? Because, according to Rivers, not only is Simmons willing to do the work but the Sixers have a plan to address his shooting woes that will involve doing “the right work” and doing it “the right way.”"

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"…Simmons is doubtful to play for Australia in the Tokyo Olympics and is expected to finalize the decision in the next day or two, sources told ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. He plans to spend the summer on skill development."

This is quite the turnaround considering that Rivers, less than 24 hours ago, declined to throw a vote of confidence behind Simmons after the team’s Game 7 loss to the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

A day after the fact, I think this is a great move for both the Sixers and Simmons. There’s no question that Simmons needs to continue to put the work in his game and this is something that needed to be made public for several reasons.

For one, the Sixers needed to quiet down the noise. This report gets ahead of the struggles of Simmons and at least changes the narrative after an embarrassing series against the Hawks. Secondly, it shuts down any possible narrative of the team turning on Simmons.

After some questionable post-game comments, the Sixers needed to do a correction. And they needed to show some support for Simmons.

It’s admirable that the Sixers are backing their own. It was always the right move to throw support behind Simmons. Even if it did come a day late. Generally in the NBA, the situation is never as bad as it looks or seems. The media and social media generally blow results out of proportion.

Simmons isn’t as bad as many are making him out to be today despite the fact that it’s become clear he’s no longer walking in the footsteps to be the next LeBron James. The big question for the Sixers heading into the offseason is whether or not that middle ground is enough for this front office?

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If so, it’s no surprise that the franchise is willing to throw their entire support system behind Simmons. It’s actually the smart and right move. And that appears to be the case, at least for the time being.