Sixers’ Ben Simmons playing at high level since return. But he’ll be judged by what he does in postseason

SAN ANTONIO — Ben Simmons’ critics are adding a but to his recent three-game performance.

The 76ers’ point guard was dominant, but his performances came against the tanking Oklahoma City Thunder and the banged-up Atlanta Hawks.

The three-time All-Star showed great leadership in those games. But he was unable to play during the tough, winless four-game stretch against the Golden State Warriors, Phoenix Suns, and Milwaukee Bucks (twice).

And Simmons looked good shooting the ball against OKC and Atlanta, getting to the rim and making all the right plays. But none of that matters until he consistently does it in the second round and beyond in the playoffs.

Yes, there are a lot of buts when it comes to Simmons.

Some may dismiss his three-game stretch as nothing more than an elite player being matched up against inferior opponents. That’s why the postseason is the barometer for him.

His lack of shooting jumpers mostly took away his offensive effectiveness in the Sixers’ last two second-round playoff appearances. So one of the biggest storylines this postseason will be Simmons’ ability to take and make jumpers.

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But he’s not alone. The postseason will be a barometer for the Sixers as a whole.

The Sixers, with their 113-111 overtime win in San Antonio Sunday night, are now 43-21. They are now in first place in the Eastern Conference, a half-game ahead of Brooklyn. The Nets lost, 117-114, Sunday afternoon in MIlwaukee. And the Miami Heat are the only winning squad the Sixers will face in their remaining eight games.

So, we won’t find out how good the Sixers actually are until then. But one has to admit that Simmons has played better after returning from injury.

He’s moving better, and making better decisions.

“Maybe probably mentally, I would say a little bit,” he said of getting refreshed while he was sidelined. “But overall, I just wanted to get back to the team. Get back to what I love. So I’m happy to be back out here.”

Simmons averaged 12.7 points on 18-for-23 shooting (78.3%), 4.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1 turnover, 2 steals, and 1 block and 21.7 minutes in those three games.

He tookseason averages of 14.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, 7.0 assists, 1.6 steals, 3.2 turnovers, and 32.6 minutes into Sunday night’s game. He’s averaging career lows in all of those categories -- except steals. But his steals number is down from his league-best 2.1 during the 2019-20 season.

Perhaps protecting his player, coach Doc Rivers always downplayed Simmons subpar games and lack of shooting. Rivers often commended him for being multifaceted and stated he’s a lock to win defensive player of the year.

Yet, there was something amiss with Simmons’ game after the All-Star Game. He appeared a step slow, struggled to get to his spot, and had close to as many turnovers as assists during one stretch.

But he appeared fresher and set the tone for the Sixers since his return last Monday.

“It seems like he’s back to himself,” Danny Green said. “Defensively, he’s active. Offensively, he’s getting to the rim, putting pressure on the rim, drawing double-teams and finding guys and playing his type of basketball.

“Maybe that time off helped him with a nice little reset, mentally, physically and emotionally.”

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He was also more in command on the floor.

Asked if he’s seeing things differently or getting more accustomed to several first-year teammates, Simmons responded,”I’m just trying to make plays.”

The one thing Simmons noticed while he was out was his ability to create a lot of shots for teammates. He said he doesn’t know when or how he’s going to get a teammate a shot.

“I’m just trying to make guys move on the defensive side to get my guys open and be creative, which is something that it’s hard to teach,” Simmons said. “I think the way I move and play, you know, I’m shifting and moving. I’m looking one way and passing the other. You know, it’s hard to guard that at times. So I’m just putting pressure on the defense.”

He defintely displayed that against the overmatched Thunder and Hawks.

The Sixers destroyed Oklahoma City, 121-90, last Monday. Then they posted a 127-83 victory over the Hawks on Wednesday before beating Atlanta, 126-104, again on Friday. The combined margin of victory was the largest ever over three games in Sixers history.

Simmons had a huge hand in the lopsided victories. But he’s still going to be judged on what he does in the second round of the playoffs, and beyond.