Ben Simmons -1/2 slice of the blame pie
Obviously, Ben Simmons’ aversion to working presents a problem, especially to a team that could have used his strengths and—theoretically—masked some of his weaknesses. Though, he was just acquired at the NBA Trade Deadline a couple of months ago.
Who knows how legitimate his nagging “back pain” really is. Bringing him back during a playoff series was always a risky proposition, and this outcome was always very foreseeable when it was clear he was not going to play during the latter portion of the regular season.
Still, Ben Simmons JUST got to Brooklyn and it wouldn’t make sense to give him a significant portion of the blame pie for a season that seemed doomed from the start.