Washington Nationals Troll Sixers Star Ben Simmons During Matchup vs. Phillies

It's been a tough week for Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons.

As the Sixers dropped Game 7 at home in the second round against the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday night, many pinned the blame of the loss on the three-time All-Star.

Once again, Simmons' offensive shortcomings overshadowed any positives he brought to the table. Despite having a solid defensive performance against Hawks superstar Trae Young and dishing a game-high of 13 assists, Simmons had a rough outing.

In 35 minutes of action, the starting point guard scored just five points. He collected four of his points by scoring two baskets on just four shots. Then, he hit on one of his two free-throw attempts at the line. Seeing as though Simmons is the Sixers' starting point guard, the criticism surrounding his lack of scoring was warranted on Sunday night as his lack of contributions played into the key loss.

But it wasn't just Sunday night's game that caused Simmons to draw a ton of criticism. It was the entire series as a whole. In seven games against the Hawks, Simmons averaged less than 10 points per game and attempted less than seven shots as he only attempted more than nine field goals in two of seven games. 

Simmons' offensive struggles made tons of noise around the basketball world over the last couple of days, and now it's being used as bait to troll Philly's MLB team, the Phillies, as they take on the Washington Nationals on Wednesday afternoon.

As the Nationals formed a comeback against the Phillies, courtesy of a three-run home run on Wednesday, the Nationals' social media team decided to take shots not only at the Phillies but at Ben Simmons as well.

Once again, the three-pointer topic comes back to haunt Simmons. As the All-Star point guard spent his fourth-straight season avoiding expanding his shooting range, sports fans and organizations continue to use it against him.

While the Nationals' attempt to troll Philly fans was a clever one, they probably should've taken into consideration what happened in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. Not only did the Sixers knock the Wizards out in five games, but Simmons had himself a stellar series. 

Sure, he might not have let any threes fly for game-winners, but he did nearly average a triple-double over five games as he collected 14.8 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 9.2 assists against the Wizards. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.