Philadelphia 76ers veteran Dwight Howard backs teammate Ben Simmons as fans slander the guard after his drab performances.
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The Philadelphia 76ers were eliminated in the last round by the Atlanta Hawks after they lost Game 7. The Sixers were considered as favourites in the East as they were the top seed after the regular season. Joel Embiid and company even dominated play against the Hawks at times but they failed to close the game out.
While Embbiid was putting up exceptional numbers to lead the franchise. His partner in crime Ben Simmons never really showed up in the postseason. The Australian native averaged 11.9 points in the playoffs with 8.8 assists and 7.9 rebounds per game. He was shooting only 34% from the free throw which is horrendous for a starting guard.
His drab performances at clutch moments have made the fans angry. Even some of the NBA experts have also criticized him for his approach to the game. Simmons has received a lot of slander from fans all over social media.
While his performances in the playoffs have been very underwhelming this season. But constant slandering from fans on social is something that no player deserves. It is understood that the fans are passionate but they also need to draw a line somewhere.
“Ben Simmons, I got your back man you are my brother and I love you”: Dwight Howards
Therefore Simmons’ teammate and veteran NBA player Dwight Howard came forward to defend him. The 8-time NBA All-Star took to Instagram Live to speak regarding the criticism surrounding Simmons.
He wants the people to stop the slandering and spread positivity. Howard feels that Simmons is a youngster and he will come back stronger.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNpmRD6jBc0]
“I don’t think it’s right that everybody is just sending this man bad messages and all this negativity. The best thing we can do is spread some positivity. This man is just 24 years old and he is still learning who he is as a person and a player.”
“They can say a lot of things that they want but he is a young man and he is my teammate. I will stay with him no matter what. Ben, I got your back man. You are my brother and I love you. He might have messed up, have taken no shots but he is going to come back better next year.”
It was a heartfelt message from an experienced player who has faced moments like these in his career. Howard knows what a player goes through during these situations. Hence he wants people to spread positivity and assures them of Simmons’ come back next season.
