Ben Simmons is one of the best Australian players in the NBA, as the league has seen a growing number of stars coming from the region. Joe Ingles and Patty Mills are two NBA veterans from Australia, while we have young talents like Josh Giddey and Josh Green rising through the league as well.
Simmons hasn’t played for the Australian national team ever since he entered the NBA, declining to be a part of any of the international camps that have taken place. He has missed 2 Olympics during this time, the 2016 Olympics, which took place when he was a rookie and was injured. He explained why he missed the 2020 Olympics after his catastrophic failure in the 2021 Playoffs while declaring his intention to be on the team for Paris 2024.
“I was in the middle of the shit,” he says. “Of course, I wanted to go out there and play with Dante Exum and Joe Ingles and Patty Mills – those are my guys. But there’s only so much to say: I was in a bad place, and I didn’t play. Do I want to play for Australia? One hundred percent. Will I one day? One hundred percent. I’m going to the Olympics. It’s not a question – it’s a dream of mine. But I’m also not going to let people tell me when and how I do things.” (h/t Sydney Morning Herald)
Australia is a perennial medal contender at international competitions and has beaten Team USA multiple times before. Even with his recent struggles, Simmons would be a terrific weapon in FIBA-rules basketball that the Olympics employ with his defensive ability and versatility.
Will Ben Simmons Have A Bounce-Back Season?
There are 2 seasons until teams have to worry about national team selection for the 2024 Olympics. Simmons hasn’t been a part of the Australian basketball program for a while and will need to earn his place through consistency on the court. This season, he has struggled just as badly as we had seen him struggle in the 2021 Playoffs.
However, Simmons is working his way back from being mentally and physically exhausted, and his evident indecisiveness with his shot attempts on the court. Even his defense has looked a little lackluster so far this season.
People are still rooting for Ben to make it all the way back to his incredible potential. Hopefully, entering the Australian national team gives him a new lease on his career and finds the All-NBA caliber star we have seen on the court before.
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