How valuable is Ben Simmons right now?

Ben Simmons’ value is about both his strengths and his weaknesses. So why is it so hard to find the middle ground between them?

It’s not about the pass.

Ben Simmons is not on the trade block because of that one play, but that pass along with his refusal to take an open dunk as Game 7’s end approached makes for a good symbol of what makes Simmons such a vexing and frustrating player.

Of course, it’s not what the pass was in a vacuum, but what it represented to those who watched it: a failure of nerve, an abdication, the lack of a killer instinct. It symbolized, in one fateful play, all the frustrations that fans had accumulated towards Simmons over the last four seasons. If it weren’t for all that preceded that pass, it would be looked at as no more than a strange and misguided play. However, there’s a history and a context here that makes it represent so much more. And because of that history, it appears that Ben Simmons has passed his way out of Philadelphia. Regardless of how good a player one is, seeing the same problems manifest postseason after postseason is bound to produce frustration.

Can Ben Simmons be something other than what he is right now?

And so further questions arise: Is the Simmons we saw in his rookie season really the finished product? Is that really as good as it’s going to get? Such a characterization is slightly unfair considering how much he has grown on the defensive end, though looking at statistics, it’s really hard to detect tangible development over those four years. In fact, it’s easier to argue that he’s regressed. Last season Simmons averaged career-lows in points, rebounds, and assists per game while also posting his lowest field-goal percentage since his rookie year.

Though it’s not just the numbers; one gets the same feeling watching him play. He appears less confident and less eager to assert himself. The vision and finishing abilities remain, but manifestations of them are rarer than before. At times he seems hesitant to step outside of his comfort zone, fearing failure or the possibility of looking foolish. Better to pass off to a teammate than risk getting fouled and missing free throws.

In spite of all this, I do believe that the pendulum has swung a little too far on Simmons since the Sixers fell to the Hawks. You don’t have to wonder if Simmons is capable of being an All-Star caliber player or a Defensive Player of the Year candidate; he already is. The question is if he can be a foundational piece of a championship team and what such a team would look like. Perhaps it would be different if he were a part of a team that is not already a contender, where he is seen as a foundational piece worth building around or was working with a coach who utilized him in more creative and advantageous ways. Also, if the primary problem with Simmons’ game right now is that it is no longer useful once a team has advanced beyond the first round of the playoffs, well, that’s a problem a lot of teams would be content having.

In the past, it was easier to believe that it was foolish to focus on all the things that Ben Simmons seems incapable of in light of all that he does so well. One could look at Giannis Antetokounmpo, Blake Griffin at his Clippers apex, and a pre-Miami LeBron and see something resembling a blueprint on how to become a star without a jumper, relying instead on athleticism, size, intelligence, and vision. That belief feels sillier now than it did a few years ago, though a path to greatness still remains. Simmons may never become as good as any of those players, but this current incarnation does not have to be the best possible version of himself.

With draft night passing without a Simmons deal, the timeline for a potential trade has been extended indefinitely. Though it remains difficult to imagine him starting the season with Philadelphia, if the Sixers do not lower their expectations for a return package, they will not be likely to move him anytime soon. His value is at an all-time low and it would be wise to hold off for a bit, even if the Sixers are intent on moving him as soon as possible. Delaying a trade until the season has begun would allow Simmons to improve his trade value as his playoff failings recede in the distance. However, that may be untenable in light of how heavily he’s been shopped the last few weeks. While Philadelphia is not likely to receive a player of his caliber in return at this point, the situation has reached a point where it appears mutually beneficial for both sides to move on. Sometimes things just don’t work out.

It’s easy to fall in love with the idea of someone. We imagine what someone could be. We project our desires onto them and idealize them so that the actual person disappears and is replaced by a version that exists only in our own mind. It may be that some opposing general managers are experiencing this right now. They watch his highlights and see his few-times-in-a-generation level court vision, his ability to get to the rim, the plethora of ways that he can frustrate opponents on the defensive end and imagine that, in a new setting, all the problems that plagued him in Philadelphia will evaporate.

One may find themselves thinking that all he needs is a new player development coach, a new city, a new set of expectations and then things will fall into place. The raw materials have always been there and while it’s still not clear what they can be shaped into, it’s easy to imagine. Neither I nor NBA executives know whether that’s the case, but thinking of those cross-court passes and the lockdown defense that he showcases so often, it’s easy to convince oneself that it is.