It’s happening.
Ben Simmons is, as all good PGs do, beginning to get a little help from the scorekeepers when it comes to assists. You think John Stockton really earned all those assists? Sure, he was a great passer, but he was made greater by the liberal Jazz scorekeepers.
I’m not surprised that it happened this game. Nationally televised battle between two touted rookies, what better way to drive hype for the league than for one of them to get a triple-double? I’m no conspiracy theorist, but if you don’t think Adam Silver himself called the Philly scorekeepers and directly told them to make Simmons have a triple-double in this game, under threat of assassination, then you’re dumb as all heck. It wasn’t even necessary, this time. Simmons had 10 legit assists by my count. Most of the ones to Embiid were fraudulent, but he still had some great passes.
We’re going to start seeing this more and more with Simmons, even from opposing scorekeepers. Remember, those Boston lunatics somehow concoted 17 assists for T.J. McConnell once upon a time, I bet they can conjure up 25 for Simmons before the season is up.