There are a lot of eyes on Ben Simmons as he gears up to make his NBA return in the 2022-23 season. Much has been said about the former All-Star throughout the last season, following his drawn-out exit from Philadelphia. Simmons has been slandered quite a bit, and many have questioned whether he has the will or the ability to play the game at the highest level.
Simmons recently made an appearance on JJ Redick’s Old Man And The Three podcast, where he addressed a lot of the things he has been going through. He finally admitted that he felt like Doc Rivers and Joel Embiid threw him under the bus after the Hawks series. He also spoke about his relationship with Sixers fans and the city of Philadelphia, all of which were quite interesting to hear in the aftermath of his weird departure.
But there was also some talk about the team he finds himself on now, the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets have enjoyed their fair share of drama during the offseason, but the team has kept hold of all their stars and is aiming for the championship again. And Simmons is almost a wildcard at this point; if he returns to his best, that could make all the difference for the Nets.
Ben Simmons Thinks The Nets Roster Will Bring The Best Out Of Him
Ben Simmons is a unique player, his playmaking and defense are his biggest strengths, while he has always struggled with his shooting. As such, having elite shooters around him and someone that can roll hard to the basket is ideal. And the Nets have all of that, something he also talked about during the podcast.
(starts at 43:32 minutes):
“The talent that we have and the type of players that we have, we’re going to be able to run the floor easily. We got Clax (Nik Claxton), who can run, he moves incredibly well; Kev (Durant); Patty (Mills); Kai (Irving); Joe (Harris); just got Royce (O’Neale), another great 3-and-D guy.
“I’m missing people, but, yeah, I think this team right now is just a great fit for what I do and what I bring to the game. I feel like it’s Philly on steroids kind of.”
The thought of Simmons getting into the paint and distributing the rock to these elite scorers is a frightening one. He has every tool at his disposal to succeed once again. Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant will both also want the ball quite a bit, but if the Nets coaching staff can figure it out, it’s hard to see any team being able to stop them on paper.
