It really wasn’t all that long ago when Ben Simmons was regarded as one of the best young players in the league. Sure, he couldn’t shoot at all back then either, but he was good to great at a lot of other aspects of the game, like playmaking, rebounding, and defending.
Unfortunately, for the Brooklyn Nets, they have only seen flashes of Simmons at his best during his time with them. His averages of 7.2 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and 6.3 APG this season are all career lows, and reports indicate that Kevin Durant was frustrated by his lack of development.
With both Durant and Kyrie Irving now having left the team, Simmons’ former head coach Doc Rivers believes he can get back to the level he was at when he was playing for the Sixers. Rivers says that with Simmons now having the ball more often, he will play better.
Doc Rivers speaking on Ben Simmons: "I believe he can get back to where he was with us; especially now I think because he'll have the ball in his hands more…It's just going to take time." #Nets #Sixers
— Brian Lewis (@NYPost_Lewis) February 12, 2023
Doc Rivers speaking on Ben Simmons: “I believe he can get back to where he was with us; especially now I think because he’ll have the ball in his hands more…It’s just going to take time.”
It definitely should help him that he gets to have the ball a lot more. Durant and Irving both ranked in the top 20 this season in usage rate, as per the NBA, and now Simmons can control the offense a lot more. Still, as Doc said, it is going to take some time.
Ben Simmons Admitted It Will Be A While Before He Returns To All-Star Form
Simmons has been the butt of jokes this season, considering how much he has struggled. What has somewhat been lost in all of this is that he did have back surgery in the offseason, and everyone doesn’t recover at the same pace from it.
He stated recently that he is not going to be the same player he was a few years ago and that it will take him time to get back to that level. Considering the Nets are no longer in title contention, they can be a bit more patient with Simmons. There is no way to know for certain if he will ever get back to his best, but the Nets will certainly be praying that he does.
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