Ben Simmons balled out against the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night, dishing assists like they were candy, showing what he can do for the Brooklyn Nets this upcoming season.
Simmons once again showed people what he could offer to his new team, not only as the primary playmaker but also as the defensive leader. He was a nightmare for Giannis Antetokounmpo, and many fans realized that he could do a great job taking on that responsibility against the best offensive player on the rival team.
However, the criticism hasn’t stopped for Simmons, and the point guard has taken notice of everything that’s been said about him in the past couple of days. Following the Nets’ win over the Bucks, Simmons had the chance to talk about the constant criticism he receives.
Ben Simmons Has Big Message To Haters
The Australian star is tired of all the noise and sent a message to his haters, saying that he’s not a simple play that somebody shared on social media to make fun of him. He’s way more than an airballed shot and can do much more than that to help the Nets.
“It finds me all the time and it doesn’t f—ing stop. Sometimes I’m even sick of it, but then I’m like, ‘OK, I’m Ben Simmons, you know? It comes with being Ben Simmons right now’. Even the other day there was a clip of me air balling a shot at the park. Meanwhile, like 10 guys airballed multiple shots,” the player said.
“It’s like people will find one clip and try to make it that everything — like Ben can’t do [this or that]. Like come on man, you think I’m just airballing every shot? It’s not true,” Simmons continued. “But it comes with it, and you got to have tough skin and I realize that, but nah, I can’t take everything personally. It’s social media.”
He also discussed why he’s always getting picked on by fans, claiming that folks know what he’s capable of doing and have high expectations for him.
“People know what I can do, what I’m capable of. I believe that’s what it is. Like if I was somebody that wasn’t capable of doing certain things, I don’t think people would be on my ass as much,” he explained. “And I don’t mind it because it kind of motivates me in a way. Obviously, sometimes it’s a lot for anybody to deal with that, but I look at it a little bit like a respect thing, in a way.”
This will be revenge season for Simmons, who didn’t play a single minute last year. The Nets know is now or never for them. Another disappointing season could end with Kevin Durant requesting another trade, Kyrie Irving joining another team, and Simmons also leaving the ship.
It’s still early to say how they’ll fare in the 2022-23 season, but Brooklyn has a big chance to do something good.
