Embiid backs Simmons against Twitter troll

NBA All-Star game voting is well underway, and the Sixers have a few reasonable candidates.

Joel Embiid, in the midst of perhaps the best season of his career and even garnering early MVP buzz, looks like a shoo-in for his fourth consecutive appearance. Among Eastern Conference frontcourt nominees, Embiid currently has the third-most votes with just shy of 1,600,000, trailing only superstar forwards Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets and Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks.

The big man took to Twitter to drum up support for a couple of his teammates in Tobias Harris and Ben Simmons. Harris, like Embiid, is posting career best numbers, and has some pretty good company:

George, for the record, is a six-time All-Star and five-time All-NBA team member.

Simmons, on the other hand, is having what some might say is a disappointing season scoring wise. The 24-year-old is averaging a career low 13.4 points on 53.7% shooting, also a personal worst. Watchful eyes know his impact goes far beyond his point totals, though, and so it goes in 2021. Simmons is snagging 8.1 rebounds and dishing out 8.0 assists while playing possibly the best defense of his career. The Sixers are 8.4 points per 100 possessions better with him on the court.

Still, casual fans that expect 20+ points per game will always have a sore spot for Simmons. But when Embiid has your back, that doesn't matter:

Embiid is exactly right about yesterday's game. Simmons sat out what became a disappointing loss at the hands of the shorthanded Portland Trail Blazers. The ball movement was awful (19 assists, 18 turnovers) and six different Blazers scored 14+ points. Surely a 6'10" playmaker and elite, 5-position defender could have helped in those two areas.

But mostly, it's good to see the superstar center defend his point guard. Embiid has been adamant about the improved relationship between the two franchise cornerstones, and this is just one example of that.