Tor_Raps wrote:tcheco wrote:They were 1 shot away from beating the champions, with a 22 year old Simmons and a 25 year old embiid with a team built during the regular season last year, BUT THEY CAN'T WORK TOGETHER.
Again, they probably had one of the most stacked starting lineups after Golden State in recent memory. They are still a very good team but not getting the best out of both at the same time. I think there is a chance it can work if they go get a real PG and move Simmons to PF.
Simmons at PG works if he is surrounded by shooters and guys that can run the fast break. We all remember how Simmons carried the Sixers to a 14 game winning streak or whatever it was when Embiid went down in his' rookie season. We rarely see that type of Simmons when Embiid is playing.
I'm sure if you look Simmons' number when Embiid is playing and when he isn't playing, this would be a open and shut case. The eye test definitely backs that up.
Here's what NBAWOWY has for their careers since Ben Simmons' first game:
Simmons on/Embiid off offense (3369 minutes): 108.5
Simmons on/Embiid off defense: 111.4
Simmons on/Embiid off net: -2.9
Embiid on/Simmons off offense (1645 minutes): 112.6
Embiid on/Simmons off defense: 105.5
Embiid on/Simmons off Net: +7.1
Both on offense (3552 minutes): 116.4
Both on defense: 104.4
Both on net: +12.0
Embiid is clearly the Sixers' biggest difference maker but the Sixers have also been better when both are on the court together. Everyone complains about their theoretical fit, but we have a pretty decent sample of minutes that shows that they manage to thrive together.