The collapse in Philly against the Hawks will have some serious repercussions.

So many things went wrong, but so much of the problem revolves around Ben Simmons and his inability (or unwillingness) to generate offense. For a player making $30 million per year, this is a serious problem.

Everyone sees the problem:

Everyone on the court knew it. Game 7s are when legends are made. This one made Simmons into the opposite of that. He was the anti-Jordan, the anti-Durant, a player so uncomfortable in the moment that he couldn’t even bring himself to try. For four quarters, Simmons exuded a fear that infected everyone in its radius. He attempted just four shots from the field, didn’t even look to attack. It sucked the life out of the crowd. It sucked the life out of his teammates. It sucked the benefit of the doubt right out of his coach.

Simmons can’t shoot free throws. He had the lowest free-throw percentage in the history of the NBA playoffs. You literally can’t play him late in a close game. He won’t shoot in the fourth quarter. So you have a guard that won’t contribute to your offense in crunch time. He plays great defense and he can distribute the ball, but defenses have zero respect for his shot, so he doesn’t add spacing to your offense. He makes it worse.

Should the 76ers trade him? Can Doc Rivers salvage him as a player? Rivers made it pretty clear after the game that he didn’t know if Simmons could be the guy. The situation is a mess, and the braintrust in Philly needs to get creative.