mobile app bar

“Jimmy Butler has shown more heart this game than Ben in his whole career”: Sixers fans express their misery to the news of Philly choosing Simmons over Heat star

Akash Murty
Published

"Jimmy Butler has shown more heart this game than Ben in his whole career": Sixers fans express their misery to the news of Philly choosing Simmons over Heat star

It now makes no sense at all but the Sixers had their reasons to choose Ben Simmons over Jimmy Butler back in the day.  

Not too long ago, in this very world, the Philadelphia 76ers chose Ben Simmons over Jimmy Butler. In fact, they practically picked Josh Richardson, Al Horford, and Tobias Harris over the former Timberwolves forward in the 2019 off-season.

Now as things stand the very same guy might see them through the 2022 Playoffs’ Eastern Conference Semi-finals. And it even won’t be his first successful run with the Heat this season. They were the Conference champions in his very first season with the club and just lost the 2020 Finals to LeBron James and Anthony Davis’ Lakers. Meanwhile, for the Sixers, Ben, himself left this year mid-season for the Brooklyn Nets.

Also read: “Jimmy Butler surpasses LeBron James in Miami Heat’s history books”: The former MIP is on his way to dethrone Dwyane Wade for most 40-point playoff games

Imagine where the Sixers would have been, had they decided Butler over Simmons. But it seemed like an easy choice for them to keep their 22-year-old 6’11 guard who could excel at both ends of the floor and trade Jimmy to sign Horford and Richardson and also have the cap space to give Harris more money.

They did that. And they haven’t gone past the second round since, despite finishing at the top of the table last season. So, quite rightfully, Sixers fans are pissed about the decision their front office made that’s still haunting them.

Choosing Ben Simmons over Jimmy Butler will haunt Joel Embiid and Co till eternity

Keeping aside his and Heat’s first-round dominance over the Hawks, the former Bulls forward is also averaging around 27.5 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals per game against the Sixers.

He has the chance to send his former team straight out of the Playoffs as the Heat, having a 3-2 advantage in the series and leading Game 6 at 72-56 with under 3 minutes remaining in the 3rd quarter at the Wells Fargo Center in Philly as we speak.

Jimmy is leading the game in scoring with 21 points, 4 rebounds, and a block. And none of it is sitting well with the fans in the building or on the internet.


Also read: “Joel Embiid has lost over $50,000 throughout his Playoff career”: Sixers superstar has racked up quite the hefty bill in fines across 5 years in postseason

About the author

Akash Murty

Akash Murty

x-iconfacebook-iconinstagram-iconlinkedin-icon

An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

Share this article