Joel Embiid Says Ben Simmons Should Be An All-Star Now
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- First it was John Wall who went down with an injury, then it was Kevin Love, and now it's Kristaps Porzingis.
All from the eastern conference, all will miss the NBA All-Star game with injuries. But each time, Sixers' rookie Ben Simmons was passed over. It's unlikely for NBA rookies to reach the all-star game in their first season, but Simmons is deserving.
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And now with Porzingis out after tearing his ACL on Tuesday, Joel Embiid says he should get another teammate alongside him in the game.
"I hope they don't do the same bull[expletive], the same mistake they've been doing before with the last two guys who got injured," Embiid said via PhillyVoice.com. "I think he deserves it, he has been playing well the whole season, and he has been a beast lately. I think he deserves that spot. There's a lot of great players in this league, but I feel like he deserves it. And it would be great for me to have another teammate. They told me I'm going to have to dance in front of everybody, so it would be good to have another teammate that's next to me dancing with me so I don't get scared."
Simmons, 21, is averaging 16.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.8 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game. He's 5th in the NBA in assists and 9th in steals. He already has five triple-doubles, the most for a rookie since Magic Johnson in 1979-80.
