[Link](https://open.spotify.com/episode/60IZMM4TEZB9qL4L9970h0) \- starts around 45:00
Maxey asks Embiid whether Simmons or Harden was harder to play with. Embiid says neither was hard to play with, but was way more complimentary about Simmons than I was expecting.
Rough summary of what he says:
\-Simmons never needed a jump shot, just needed to get his FT% to 75 so he’d have the confidence to keep attacking the paint. Says Simmons was a monster, was almost as fast as Maxey while being 6’10.
\-Him and Simmons were an instant top 5 defense, it didn’t matter who else was on the floor.
\-Leaks to the media were handled badly. Embiid would read something leaked by Simmons’ camp and would get frustrated and retaliate. Says if he was trying to force a trade and his camp was leaking things to the media, he’d let his teammates know it wasn’t personal.
\-Thinks if Maxey had been able to play with Simmons and Embiid it would’ve been game-changing and was a perfect match: combining Maxey and Embiid’s scoring with Simmons’ defense, playmaking and transition play. Says ‘that was the team’ (Embiid + Maxey + Simmons), and he thinks about that pairing a lot. Says that there have been a lot of mistakes (like letting Mikal Bridges go), but ‘that’s the one that got away’.
by BarackObamasnow
2 Comments
We’ve reached the reconciliation stage. Welcome back Ben. /s
Interesting. The thing about leaks is interesting and I think highlights an issue in pro sports where there is so much media manipulation and bullshit so individual players can do what’s best for them at the cost of their teammates. This is at its worst in the NBA.
The second point is Embiid’s thoughts on the ceiling of a Maxey, Embiid, Simmons line up. I feel like that would work on power but Simmons is so “injury” prone and fragile that there is almost no chance that line up would be able to stay intact and perform well over the course of a season.