Ben Simmons’ rise in Philadelphia still stands as one of the most electric stretches the 76ers have had from a young player, even if the ending left a crater. Before everything unraveled, he looked like the kind of force who could bend a game in Philadelphia’s favor with his size, burst, and passing. That version of Simmons was not just promising - he was already delivering at a level that put him in rare company.
FanSided’s Senior NBA Expert Josh Cornelissen slotted Simmons at No. 13 on his Top 30 list of the greatest players in 76ers history, and the case is hard to dismiss when you look at what he actually did in a Philly uniform. As Josh states, "He [Simmons] made the All-Star team in the next three seasons, twice earning All-Defense honors and once making an All-NBA team."
The 2018 Rookie of the Year award was just the start. From there, Simmons kept stacking impact seasons on both ends of the floor, and his 2018-19 campaign showed exactly why the franchise once believed it had a cornerstone. He averaged 16.9 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 7.7 assists per game while shooting 56.3% from the floor.
Of course, no conversation about Simmons in Philadelphia escapes Game 7 of the 2021 Eastern Conference Semifinals. That possession - passing up a wide-open basket and putting the ball in Matisse Thybulle’s hands - became the moment fans attached to his name, and it helped trigger one of the most dramatic falloffs the league has seen. For Sixers fans, that image has never faded.
The what-ifs only get louder from there. In 2026, Simmons’ decline looks even more striking when stacked against the road not taken. The Butterfly Effect version of this story imagines a different sequence entirely: Joel Embiid avoiding his devastating knee injury, Jaylen Brown never getting traded from the Boston Celtics, and LeBron James ending up in Philadelphia.
That alternate reality paints a wildly different picture of what the 76ers could have become. Simmons, on track to develop into an elite two-way forward, would have provided the kind of foundation that lets a roster of stars breathe. In that setup, LeBron could focus entirely on running the offense, while Brown and Tyrese Maxey could alternate on-ball duties and Embiid would still be part of the mix.
It’s all rooted in the same basic truth: Simmons’ future with the 76ers once looked wide open. The only real question is whether his salary demands would have made a roster like that impossible anyway. Most likely.
In Other News...
Sixers Flier Comes With A Chance At Unmatched NBA History
Dillon Jones arrives in Philadelphia with the kind of rsum that turns a low-cost camp signing into a curious little footnote worth watching. He has already been around winning at the highest level, collecting titles with the Thunder in 2025 and the Knicks in 2026, and now he is on an Exhibit 10 deal with the 76ers after spending time in the NBA and the G League while showing enough versatility as a scorer and rebounder to keep getting another look.
For the Sixers, it is a no-risk flier on a player whose path has already been unusually decorated, but the real intrigue is tied to what comes next. If Jones can make the roster and Philadelphia reaches the top in 2027, he would stand alone in a place no NBA player has ever been before, with three straight championships coming with three different teams. [Read more 🡒]
Tyrese Maxey Is Already Answering A Big 76ers Leadership Question
Tyrese Maxey has spent the 2026 offseason doing more than just keeping his own game sharp. The 76ers guard has been working with new teammate Anfernee Simons, a fresh addition on a two-year deal who arrives in Philadelphia after stops with the Celtics and Bulls, and that kind of early on-court connection matters for a team trying to build chemistry before the season even begins.
Maxey has also been training with other teammates and players, which only adds to the sense that he is already stepping into a bigger role in the room. For a Sixers group looking to sort out its leadership hierarchy, the offseason work offers a clear signal: Maxey is not waiting for the season to define his voice, he is helping shape the team now. [Read more 🡒]
Jaylen Brown Just Added A Wild New Twist To Phillys Offseason
Jaylen Browns first summer in Philadelphia already has a different feel to it after the Sixers landed him in the 2026 offseason, giving the franchise a new high-profile piece to build around. Before he ever takes the floor in a Sixers uniform, Brown has already shown he is not interested in spending the offseason in a quiet lane, stepping into the ring for an exhibition bout in Nigeria and adding another layer to a career that has never fit neatly into one box.
The boxing cameo also makes a little more sense once you look at the family background, since Brown is following a path his father, Quenton Marselles Brown, once walked as a professional fighter. Brown has talked before about the possibility of boxing or even the UFC after basketball, though for now it remains more of a future curiosity than a concrete plan, which is exactly why the latest detour stands out so much for a Sixers team that suddenly has to keep track of one of the leagues most unpredictable stars. [Read more 🡒]