During his time with the Philadelphia 76ers, forward Ben Simmons was viewed as one of the most talented young players in basketball. Many people raved about his slashing ability, playmaking, and multi-positional defense. He has made three All-Star teams and was in DPOY talks during his last season in Philadelphia.
As of now, though, Ben Simmons seems to be a shell of the player that he once used to be. With the Brooklyn Nets, Simmons has been a huge liability for the team offensively, looking extremely indecisive on that end of the floor. His rebounding and playmaking are similar, but his overall defense has definitely gotten worse. Some have already suggested that Ben Simmons needs to be traded ahead of the deadline.
Recently, Ben Simmons opened up about his recent struggles. He pointed to his back surgery not being a “light thing” and noted that he’s not going to be the star-level player he was immediate, adding that it’s “gonna take time to get back.” Brian Lewis of The New York Post relayed the news.
“Back surgery is not a light thing so it takes time. Back surgery you’re affected everywhere. Your knees. So it’s just something I gotta stay on top of. I’ve been saying it from the start. There’s gonna be ups and downs. … I’m not gonna be the same player I was a few years ago. That’s gonna take time to get back.”
It is true that players often need some time before looking the same after serious injuries. Though a lot of people have given up on Ben Simmons, perhaps he will be back to his star-level self if given time and encouragement.
Ben Simmons Is A Problem For The Brooklyn Nets Right Now
There is no doubt that Ben Simmons’ decline this season has been concerning. In fact, analyst Zach Lowe previously claimed that he is the “biggest problem” for the Brooklyn Nets, as he has a huge contract and “doesn’t produce.”
“The biggest problem for the Brooklyn Nets is not Kyrie, it’s not [James] Harden, it’s not all this return that we’re talking about,” Lowe said. “It’s that Ben Simmons is a zero… Ben Simmons has $80 million due to him in the next two seasons after this one and doesn’t produce.”
Hopefully, we see Ben Simmons bounce back in the future and become the player that he once was. He still has some potential to be good if fully healthy, and if he regains some of his scoring ability, he’ll be extremely valuable to the Nets’ defense.
Currently, however, all we can do is wait. We will see how Ben Simmons fares for the rest of the season, and hopefully, he can help the team’s pursuit of a championship with Kevin Durant in the playoffs.
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