Joel Embiid: Chatter about Ben Simmons issues is ‘BS’
Joel Embiid is tired of the questions about whether he can coexist with Ben Simmons.
Embiid and Simmons have struggled to coexist offensively this season, with the Sixers ranking 20th in offensive rating. With both under the microscope, Embiid says there are no issues and expects improvement for the remainder of the season.
“I think it’s B.S., because when you look at the last couple years, the last two years that we’ve been playing together, it’s not a problem,” Embiid said Saturday, via Tim Bontemps of ESPN. “This year it’s only been a problem because our offense has struggled.
“It’s definitely going to be better after the All-Star break. I mean, just look at the last two years, what we’ve been able to do. I think it can work, and it’s going to work.”
The Sixers play inside too much and are hindered by Simmons’ refusal to take jump shots. That has made the Simmons-Embiid pairing a pretty easy target for pundits as the Sixers underachieve. Embiid is right that it’s worked before, but things are a bit different without a piece like Jimmy Butler on the team. A change is going to take a lot of effort during the second half of the year.
