Former Philadelphia 76ers big man Dwight Howard recently came to Ben Simmons' defense as the saga continues between him and the Sixers. The 25-year-old is still away from the team due to mental health issues and at this point, there is no sign that he will even play for Philly again.
As Howard said in an interview with GQ, the Sixers faithful have done wrong by Simmons in more ways than one:
“With Ben, how can you speak on a situation when you don’t know what’s going on behind closed doors? It’s a lot of growth he’s had to go through. It’s very tough to be in the spotlight and deal with some of these things, especially when you feel like you’re alone. People say he isn’t where he needs to be as a player for the Sixers, but I’m proud of his growth. I’m always gonna stick up for him, he was my teammate. At the end of the day, even if we don’t play on the same team, you still my brother.”
Howard definitely has a point. The Sixers fans essentially broke Simmons in the playoffs last season after he struggled to produce and he clearly hasn't been able to recuperate mentally. Daryl Morey and the front office continue to reiterate that he won't be traded until the franchise can acquire a legitimate superstar in return, but that doesn't look like it's going to happen anytime soon.
To be honest, Simmons simply needs a fresh start. After all, he is still a very capable player who can contribute in a variety of different ways on both ends of the floor. While the Sixers players are supporting him in these tough times, the fans aren't. A divorce seems like the most logical decision solution.
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