As an elite wing defender, Ben Simmons often gets compared to some of the NBA’s greatest defensive players. Metta Sandiford-Artest (formerly known as Metta World-Peace), is one of the most popular names.
In a Tweet, Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson became one of the most recent ones to make the comparison.
Ben Simmons’ role as a Net defensively to me is what Metta World-Peace was to Kobe in LA. pic.twitter.com/Hz09PWjDPr
— 👑 Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson (@ScoopB) March 13, 2022
No matter how you feel about putting Metta and Simmons in the same sentence, the ex-NBA swingman doesn’t think it’s fair.
According to him, Simmons is a much more complete player.
“It’s not fair to compare Ben Simmons to me. His body of work is going to be way better than my body of work,” said Artest. “I wasn’t consistent. At 23 years old, a lot of people were doing what I was doing From 24-26, I failed to add on to the body of work.”
Metta World-Peace on Ben Simmons: “It’s not fair to compare Ben Simmons to me. His body of work is going to be way better than my body of work. I wasn’t consistent. At 23 years old, a lot of people were doing what I was doing From 24-26, I failed to add on to the body of work.” https://t.co/XT2smFbQyb
— 👑 Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson (@ScoopB) March 13, 2022
Simmons, 25, is a 3x All-Star, 2x All-Defensive player, and the 2018 Rookie of the Year. In 4 seasons in the league, he’s averaging 15.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 7.7 assists per game on 56% shooting.
This past summer was a major turning point for his career. After a failed playoff run, he exiled himself from the organization and put millions on the line as he avoided action on the court.
With all that behind him now, Simmons hopes to revive his career and prove he still has what it takes to be a star. And no matter how you feel about him, the young stud will be crucial in helping the Nets achieve their goals this season.
“They need Ben Simmons to go anywhere in the postseason,” said NBA analyst Ric Bucher. “He needs to be the Ben Simmons that fills all of the gaps that the Brooklyn Nets have. That improves them as a rebounding team. That improves them defensively. That continues to keep the ball moving offensively, and sets up Kyrie and KD.
The Kyrie/KD in combination with the two other players they acquired in the trade should be plenty to get them where they need to go.”
Regarding the comparison between Simmons and Metta, there are some noticeable similarities, especially on the defensive end.
But Ben has the potential to be much more, and he has shown us before what he is capable of in the right situation. We will see before long what he is able to do when he finally returns to the court.
