“I mean, the only thing I can think about is the comments, but everybody’s allowed to make mistakes in the heat of the moment”: Joel Embiid makes an honest confession about the Ben Simmons controversy

Sixers big man Joel Embiid gives a detailed explanation of how he could have handled the Ben Simmons situation differently in hindsight, adding that everyone is allowed to make mistakes.

With the trade deadline approaching, Ben Simmons continues to be a favorite in the headlines. Post the debacle in the 2021 playoffs, Simmons and the Sixers had an irreparable fall-out. The former ROTY had one of the most disappointing playoff performances in recent times. In what many believe, costing his team a spot in the ECF.

The Hawks would heavily exploit Simmons’ inability to shoot the ball. The term Hack-a-Simmons was evidence of how Trae Young and co took advantage of the Sixers point guard’s inability to shoot free throws. The Hawks had got into Simmons’ head, leading to a string of poor performances.

Post losing Game Seven at home, teammate Joel Embiid and head coach Doc Rivers would indirectly blame Simmons for their ouster from the semi-finals. While talking to the media, Embiid said the following.

“I’ll be honest. I thought the turning point was when we, I don’t know how to say it, is when we had an open shot and we made one free throw.”

The situation only got worse with head coach Doc stating that he didn’t know if Simmons could be a point guard for a championship team.

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Post this, Simmons had decided to never don the Sixers jersey again. The three-time All-Star would refuse to engage in any talks despite several attempts from his teammates and front office.

Joel Embiid responds to handling the Ben Simmons situation differently.

With the trade deadline looming in, the Simmons situation in Philadelphia remains unsolved. Despite playing without their two-way point guard, the Sixers are playing impressive basketball and are a top 5 seed, with Embiid being the front runner for the MVP.

Simmons hasn’t played a single game this season so far. When asked whether anything could have been done differently after the Hawks series to prevent the Simmons situation, Embiid had the following response.

Though Embiid admitted to not having made those comments, he believed the problem was much deep-rooted than his or Doc’s comments. The Cameroon native believes the Sixers fans in Philly are also one of the reasons for Simmons wanting out and that everyone deals with pressure in their own ways.

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Though Embiid’s comments make sense, fan hate has reached a whole new high. The most recent example is of Russell Westbrook against the Knicks.