Ever since the Atlanta Hawks eliminated the Philadelphia 76ers from the playoffs last season, there has been a rift between the 76ers and Ben Simmons. In the post-match press conferences, both coach Doc Rivers and star Joel Embiid were extremely negative towards the Australian. Embiid basically blamed Simmons for the loss which effectively put an end to the process.
Due to this the rift has developed to the point where Simmons refused to report to their training camp. Then, in an effort to get the Australian back into the fold, the 76ers played hardball, fining him for every dollar that they could.
Simmons did eventually turn up to practice but was thrown out for not putting enough effort in. It appears that the 76ers were trying to hardball Simmons back into the fold but were unsuccessful. As a result, they have been looking to trade him, trying to get the best return they can. Recently the Hawks emerged as suitors, so here we take a look at why it may not be a bad thing.
Areas Ben Simmons could help the Atlanta Hawks No. 1) Rebounding
While the Hawks have the leading rebounder in the league from last season in Clint Capela, they often give up too many offensive rebounds. One thing that Simmons does is he attacks the boards with passion on both ends of the floor.
Depending on who the Hawks have to trade away to get Simmons, he would need to at least match their production. Being so tall, strong, and nimble, Simmons is going to produce high-level numbers of rebounds every night.
Areas Ben Simmons could help the Atlanta Hawks No. 2) Defense
While Simmons has some holes in his game, mainly the lack of range on his shot and his poor free-throw shooting, his defense has never been an issue. His combination of size and speed makes him a difficult opponent to score against.
Last season Simmons was in the top-five in the Defensive Player of the Year voting. The Hawks saw just how good he was during the Eastern Conference semi-finals where he was one of the few players who was able to block Trae Young’s step-back 3-point shot.
He can defend every position on the court, he was playing the five in college for the LSU Tigers. If you combine this with Capela and De’Andre Hunter then this would be one of the most difficult combinations to score against in the league.
The Hawks’ defense has been lacking this season. The fact that their offense has been so good is the only reason that they have managed to win the games that they have. Inserting Simmons on the defensive end will fix a lot of the issues that the Hawks are experiencing for the first part of the season.
Areas Ben Simmons could help the Atlanta Hawks No. 3) Rotation flexibility
Having a player who can play almost any position on the court, be it offensively or defensively, is always going to have a positive impact on a team’s ability to put different lineups on the floor. The only limitation for the Hawks is that they need to have two shooters on the floor at all times as a minimum when Simmons is on the floor.
His ability to be able to defend at a high level against almost any opponent allows him to be the center of a small-ball lineup. Surrounding him with three or four shooters and the opposition is going to be struggling to stop the Hawks’ offense.
He can also be used as a big guard if the Hawks are looking to totally dominate an opponent. They could play Capela at the pivot, John Collins at the four, Danilo Gallinari at the wing, with Hunter playing as the shooting guard. Simmons is the biggest point guard in the league meaning that this lineup would cause issues against any team.
Simmons would be able to play with Young, allowing him to take a break on the occasional play. The possibilities that Simmons presents are endless when it comes to rotations, it will just take an inventive coach to unlock them.
Areas Ben Simmons could help the Atlanta Hawks No. 4) Playmaking
One of the areas that the Hawks are struggling with is they do not have a consistent secondary playmaker when Trae Young sits. Delon Wright is another in the long line of point guards who have not been up to the task. His defense has been good, but the Hawks need an offensive general for when Young sits.
The Hawks are probably going to have to give up players like Bogdan Bogdanovic which means that Simmons would be the starting shooting guard. As long as they have either Young or Simmons on the court the Hawks will have an elite-level playmaker.
The best part of this scenario is that with both players on the court, a bench player does not need to come onto the court and try and figure out the pace of the game. There is no dropoff in intensity which is where the Hawks have struggled with Young on the bench.
Simmons is not going to fix all of the Hawks’ issues. The floor spacing when he is on the court with Capela or Onyeka Okongwu will be difficult. They will also have to give up some quality players to get him. As with every trade, there are positives and negatives. If the Hawks do pull the trigger on this one, let’s hope it is positive.