NBA Writer suggests Ben Simmons’s problems with Jimmy Butler were an early sign of his transfer fiasco today
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Ben Simmons has singlehandedly saved all NBA reporters during this offseason. Just… not in the best way for him.
The man first mucked up the 2021 NBA Playoffs, essentially becoming a point guard who is too scared of the ball… a weirdly hilarious paradox, we know. But since then, after being criticized a tad bit by those in the 76ers, the man has been on a transfer request parade.
Ben Simmons told 76ers players he didn’t want to meet with them after they planned to fly to LA to try to convince him to commit for this season, per @ShamsCharania pic.twitter.com/4tLvw12TBA
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 25, 2021
Many have since claimed (us included), that the man has essentially been acting like a big baby, and that the franchise should’ve seen this tantrum coming.
How, you ask? Well, let’s get into it.
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Noah Decker of ‘Fansided’, believes Ben Simmons’s issues with Jimmy Butler should have been an indication to things to come
For those that don’t know, Ben Simmons and Jimmy Butler were once teammates. The now Heat man was easily one of their best players. And, with the ball in his hands, he almost took, what was a lacking team, to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2019.
So, why did the 76ers let him go? Well, amongst other things, Simmons was having arguments with Simmons over the role of the ball-handler. And as we know now, the 76ers eventually chose the point guard. And this was perhaps Philadelphia’s greatest mistake as per Noah Decker of ‘Fansided’.
“Let’s be clear; Jimmy Butler and Ben Simmons have very different leadership styles. Butler is more of a vocal leader, while Simmons usually leads by example. This isn’t necessarily a problem; LeBron James and Michael Jordan have different styles of leadership, but both have led their teams to championships.
The issue with Simmons, which Butler hinted at, is that his mental toughness isn’t at the level it needs to be in order for him to lead a championship team. In the 2021 playoffs, we saw how his fear of the free-throw line took precedence over his decision-making late in games.”
Yikes… but can you really disagree?
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