Sixers' Ben Simmons makes All-NBA third team, while Joel Embiid is snubbed
Simmons becomes the 15th player in franchise history to receive an All-NBA recognition.
September has been a great month for Ben Simmons.
The 76ers point guard garnered All-NBA third-team honors on Wednesday, eight days after being named to the league’s All-Defensive team.
Meanwhile, Joel Embiid was left off the three All-NBA teams after being a second-team selection in each of the previous two seasons.
Simmons becomes the 15th player in franchise history to receive an All-NBA recognition.
The voting was based on players' performances before the NBA shutdown in March and done by a global panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters.
Simmons led the league in total steals (115) and average steals per game (2.1) despite missing the final eight games leading into the shutdown with a pinched nerve in his lower back. He was second in the league in deflections (216) and third in average deflections per game (four). The 6-foot-10, 250-pounder also averaged 16.4 points, 8.0 assists and 7.8 rebounds per game.
Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks forward), LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers forward), James Harden (Houston Rockets shooting guard), Anthony Davis (Lakers forward/center) and Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks point guard) were the first-team selections.
The second-team selections were Kawhi Leonard (Los Angeles Clippers small forward), Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets center), Damian Lillard (Portland Trail Blazers point guard), Chris Paul (Oklahoma City Thunder point guard), and Pascal Siakam (Toronto Raptors forward).
Simmons is joined by Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics forward), former Sixer Jimmy Butler (Miami Heat small forward), Rudy Gobert (Utah Jazz center) and Russell Westbrook (Houston Rockets point guard) on the third team.
Simmons received nine second-team votes, and 34 third-team votes en route to 61 total points.
The Sixers moved Simmons from point guard to power forward during the NBA restart in Kissimmee, Fla. He played in only three games before having season-ending surgery on Aug. 10 to remove a loose body in his left knee. He suffered a temporary partial dislocation of his left kneecap on Aug. 5 against the Washington Wizards.