Philadelphia 76ers: Ben Simmons’ absence continues to scar 76ers’ season

The Philadelphia 76ers desperately need a Ben Simmons resolution. 

Heading into this season, Philadelphia 76ers general manager Daryl Morey was adamant that the team was not going to trade Ben Simmons simply based on the fact that he wanted a trade. The team was going to be smart and play the long game in an attempt to gain a valuable asset for their perennial all-star – if there was no change of heart.

Thirty-two games into the regular season for the Sixers, nothing has changed and the headlining story for the team this season has been the distraction of Simmons – not what the team has done or, in their case, what they’ve failed to do on the court.

At 16-16, sitting in the 7th seed of the Eastern Conference, the Sixers are nothing more than an average team. Aside from the special efforts from night to night on the part of Joel Embiid, there’s nothing else on this roster that injects fear into its opponents.

And that’s been a huge problem for the team this season. They’ve desperately missed Simmons and despite how impressive on some nights Tyrese Maxey has looked, it was never fair to expect him to replace a player as talented and with as much high-end potential as Simmons.

In the end, this season is quickly turning into a throwaway one for the Sixers. Without Simmons, this team is not a contender in the East and that’s quickly becoming apparent. It’s no longer something that the front office can simply ignore.

In the worst way, the Sixers need a resolution on Simmons. The team has decided that it’s perfectly fine to throw away another prime year of Embiid, at 27, and considering his injury history I’m not entirely sure that’s all that smart.

Whether it’s a return from Simmons or players that are acquired in his place, something has to give for this team. It’s starting to feel like the season is getting away from the Sixers, who just last season was heading into the playoffs as the No. 1 overall seed in the East.

Simmons has successfully hijacked the Sixers’ season. The crime that’s being committed now is the Sixers simply sitting idly by, perfectly fine with what’s happening.