Can Ben Simmons Redeem Himself?
We haven’t seen Ben Simmons play an NBA game since February 16th, when he suited up against the Miami Heat and finished with two points, four rebounds, and four assists across 25 minutes of action. Since then, the top pick in the 2016 NBA Draft has been a fixture on the sidelines for the Brooklyn Nets.
The Melbourne-born three-time NBA All-Star missed the entire 2021-2022 season and only played 42 games last year due to a variety of health ailments including a nerve issue in his back. Aside from dealing with health issues, Simmons faced criticisms and has been the target of online ridicule for the way he played during the final stretch of his stint with the Philadelphia 76ers ultimately forcing the team to trade him. He isn’t getting much more love at home either, as Aussie fans have also been calling out Simmons for not playing for their national team for years now.
In 42 games last season, Simmons averaged 6.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, 6.1 assists, and 1.3 steals, on 56.6% field goal shooting. He’s entering the fourth season of a five-year deal he signed with the Sixers back in 2020. And while there is uncertainty regarding his future in the NBA, Simmons’ latest statement to ESPN signals his readiness to redeem himself on the court.
“I Know I Can Do It”
Last month, Simmons sat down with ESPN’s Andscape for a wide ranging interview. “I’m excited. I get to do something I love to do at a high level. Regardless of what people say, I’m a three-time All-Star, All-NBA player, [All-] Defensive Team. I’ve done things. I’m not somebody that hasn’t done anything,” he added.
Simmons isn’t wrong in that respect. Aside from winning the Rookie of the Year in 2018 and being a three-time All-Star, Simmons’ defense earned him a back-to-back selections on the NBA’s All-Defensive Team (2020-2021). In 2020, he also led the league in steals (2.1 steals per game). When healthy, Simmons proved he can be an effective defender and that’s something the Nets can use when he suits up.
Last season, the Nets finished as a top-ten defensive team- only allowing opponents 112.5 points per night while limiting them to 41% field goal shooting. Coming off a season that saw them lose Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving via trades last February, Brooklyn can use every bit of Ben Simmons they can get. With Durant and Irving gone westward, Mikal Bridges, acquired in the Durant deal, became the Nets’ got to player averaging 26.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and a steal in 26 games. The Nets also received Cameron Johnson and Spencer Dinwiddle in the February trades- giving Brooklyn a core they can work with moving forward.
How Ben Simmons will fit into the new Nets core is something Brooklyn Head Coach Jacque Vaughn needs to figure out in short order. Whether Simmons wants to admit it or not, he’s developed a reputation around NBA circles as someone who can’t be relied on. And regardless of how many off court interviews he does between now and opening night, it will be his on court play that will have to change that narrative.
When healthy and focused, Simmons is amongst the most disruptive players in the Association on the defensive end of the court. But fans have grown all too accustomed to seeing the 27 year old in street clothes of late, and it’s unlikely that the former LSU standout will have a long leash in the eyes of the Brooklyn faithful this fall.
There’s an outside chance that Simmons is able to regain his All-Star form, and become a key contributor to the young Brooklyn core moving forward. But recent history suggests that he has just as good of a chance to be on the trade block once again as the calendar turns to 2024.
With the Eastern Conference as wide open as it’s been in years, the Nets are hoping that Simmons backs up his words on the hardwood this fall.
-Iggy Gonzales
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