Executive shreds Ben Simmons in bitter rant after becoming third fastest to 30 triple-doubles

Ben Simmons has had a huge night for the Philadelphia 76ers but the Aussie superstar has also been torn a new one in a savage spray.

Ben Simmons was slammed by an unnamed executive.

Ben Simmons has gone on a tear to bring up the 30th triple-double of his career in a 125-108 win over the Miami Heat.

A day after narrowly avoiding being traded to the Houston Rockets in the James Harden deal, Simmons did what he does best, pulling down 10 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists to lead the 76ers to the side’s ninth win of the season.

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And it was on a night Joel Embiid played just 24 minutes with nine points and five rebounds.

Shake Milton hit a game-high 31 points with Philadelphia getting contributions from across the floor.

Simmons proved his worth with the 30th triple-double of his career in just 228 games, only behind triple-double master Oscar Robertson (75 games) and legend Magic Johnson (190 games).

Although he will likely be overtaken by the Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Doncic who has 27 triple-doubles in just 142 matches, it is still an impressive from the 24-year-old.

But the Aussie has also been blindsided by some savage criticism.

Despite being a two-time All-Star and all-defensive first team player, Simmons’ jump shot continues to be the biggest talking point in his game.

Ben Simmons is the third fastest player to 30 triple-doubles.

It led one Eastern Conference executive to tell Michael Scotto of Hoops Hype that the 76ers missed a trick not doing whatever they could to trade Simmons.

“They’re not as good as Brooklyn, Milwaukee, Boston, and in the end, Miami. They might just be a No. 5 seed by end of the season,” the executive was quoted as saying.

“Ben Simmons has not improved in one area of his game at all since coming into the league. He’s the same player today as he was in his rookie year, and teams have figured him out in the playoffs. He’s why they won’t go far.”

Ouch.

Simmons was reportedly ecstatic over being left in Philadelphia as James Harden was dealt to the Brooklyn Nets in a four-team trade but there was also talk of Simmons and Matisse Thybulle being in the deal but the Rockets also wanted rookie Tyrese Maxey, which was too rich for Philadelphia.

The Rockets wanted Ben Simmons, Tyrese Maxey, Matisse Thybulle, and draft picks from the 76ers for Harden.

Philly said no deal.

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) January 13, 2021

Speaking on ESPN’s The Jump, seven-time NBA champion Robert Horry said Simmons being put up in a trade should be flattering for the 24-year old.

“He needs to understand that this is a business and you’re going to get mentioned in trades all the time, that’s a compliment,” he said. “That means somebody wants you. If nobody wants you, you aren’t going to be mentioned. He should use this to motivate him and show why they should be happy they kept him because he is a remarkable player and if I was Houston, this is the guy I would have wanted.”

And Simmons responded well.

Richard Jefferson added: “The key thing is who are they mentioning you in a trade for. They’re mentioning you in a trade for James Harden.”

When it comes to the trade talk, Simmons was pretty dismissive of being put up as the key piece in the trade.

“There’s far worse things going on in the world,” Simmons said of recent trade talk. “If you tell me I’ll never play the game again, that would be a different story.

“This is a business. Things like that happen. The only thing I can control is how I approach my workouts, the games, and my day to day things. I’m just trying to be professional and do the right thing and help my team get wins.”

And it could be the key to unlock Simmons according to Charles Barkley.

Barkley just picked the Sixers as his favorite in the Eastern conference because they *didn’t* get Harden and that will ease the tension around Ben Simmons 🤷🏾‍♂️

— Danny Pommells (@DPommellsNBCS) January 15, 2021

Trash franchise. A Ben Simmons-level player is who you hope to draft w/ picks. https://t.co/9MVyWLvlhA

— Edwin 🏀8/24🏀 Garcia (@Edwin_Garcia_55) January 15, 2021