Sixers showing why Daryl Morey has to fill the Ben Simmons-sized hole on this roster | Mike Sielski

Ben Simmons reportedly spends most of his nights riveted to his television or his smart phone or whatever device provides him the clearest picture of the basketball team that he abandoned. So assuming he tuned in to the 76ers’ 106-103 loss Wednesday night to the Washington Wizards, the game’s narrative and result should have brought him a measure of pleasure.

Sure, after winning their previous five games and 15 of their previous 18, the Sixers were probably due for a downer. As coach Doc Rivers said afterward, “Some games, you just lose.” One can certainly make that argument. Washington, without star guard and prospective Sixers trade target Bradley Beal, outrebounded them, 52-41. They burped up a five-point fourth-quarter lead, and their last possession was a succession of panicky decisions and general disorganization: Tobias Harris leaping to throw a risky, blind pass that the Wizards nearly stole, Joel Embiid completing an off night by bull-rushing toward the basket and missing a layup.

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But there was a more telling development Wednesday for the Sixers, a truth that the Wizards — one player of theirs in particular — exposed and that will remain exposed until one of two things happens. Kyle Kuzma was marvelous, scoring 24 points, hitting 10 of his 19 shots, several of which were breathtaking in their difficulty, none of which the Sixers could stop.

“A lot of times they were in deep drops,” Kuzma said. “Embiid being back allowed me to get downhill and make a couple of floaters. Once I get a couple of floaters going, I feel like my jump shot starts falling, and I get more confident. It’s not necessarily a rhyme or reason. It’s all about, really, flow and taking what the defense gives you.”

Kuzma was tremendous, and maybe no one in the NBA would have held him down Wednesday night. But you’d have liked the Sixers’ chances better if Simmons or an additional elite wing defender or another scoring option had been on the floor. And unless they figure out how to clone Matisse Thybulle, there are just two ways that they can equip themselves to counteract the problems a player like Kuzma — or Kevin Durant, or James Harden, or Giannis Antetokounmpo — presents. Either Daryl Morey trades Simmons for reinforcements on or before Thursday’s deadline, or Simmons’ yearning to rejoin his teammates and play basketball again overwhelms his insecurities and petulance.

Counting on Simmons to stop sitting in the corner and sucking his thumb seems the worse of those two bets. But Morey’s infatuation with Harden and his apparent refusal to receive even $0.99 in return for what he perceives to be Simmons’ dollar are the factors that most put this season in peril for the Sixers. If his jones for James is so strong that he is willing to wait until the offseason for even a chance at a blockbuster deal for Harden, Morey will still have to explain why he left his team shorthanded when the Eastern Conference crown was up for grabs, why he chose to pass on this particular opportunity.

As long as they have a Simmons-sized hole on their roster, the Sixers won’t and can’t match the depth, top-end talent, and experience of the Nets, Bucks, and Heat. There’s a reason Embiid is the favorite, at the moment, to win the league’s MVP award: Not only is he having an incredible season, but relative to other strong teams, he gets less help from his supporting cast. There isn’t another star alongside him. Tyrese Maxey isn’t one yet, and Harris isn’t one, either, though he’s paid like one. That fact is a big part of this team’s appeal. With Simmons, this team was a favorite. Without him, it’s an underdog.

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It’s that quality, of course, that had everyone around here so jazzed about the Sixers’ recent winning streak. Yet here’s the bitter irony: That same quality is likely to be a shortcoming for them in May and June. The best thing about the Sixers is that they play their a-- off most nights. The worst thing about them is that, as they’re currently constituted, they have to play their a-- off to win most nights.

They didn’t Wednesday night. They had a slow start and a rough finish, and it cost them against an inferior opponent. That’s their reality, and that’s a formula for another second-round exit from the playoffs, because in the postseason, every team plays its a-- off.

“These games happen,” forward Georges Niang said. “You try not to let them happen. Credit to them. They made shots down the stretch, but we definitely have to come out with more intensity in the first half and don’t give teams like this hope, especially when they come in undermanned.

“You don’t want to give yourself that excuse. … It’s the next one. I think if we can come out in the first half and bring energy and beat teams down the stretch and not go on a run and let them come back in, we’ll be better for it.”

Better, yes. But only so much, and not enough to win a championship unless and until Morey decides to act.

» READ MORE: If Ben Simmons isn’t traded, what move should Daryl Morey make to shore up a solid playoff run?