Ben Simmons is the butt of every basketball joke once again after a tough showing against the Memphis Grizzlies. Simmons showed that his caliber of defense is something the Nets haven’t had before, but he is also proving his doubters right every time he plays without any offensive impact.
In his third game of the season, Simmons had another night where he scored under 10 points, ending with 7 against the Memphis Grizzlies. His defensive responsibility also caused him to foul out for the second time in 3 games, a very poor track record to start the season with. As a result, Nets and NBA fans are piling on Simmons after the team fell to a 134-124 loss to the Grizzlies in this game.
he is actually so bad
— GMoney ♛ (@RollMyBluntzz) October 25, 2022
https://twitter.com/HoodiBron/status/1584732060312563713
Sixers won the trade 😭
— 🥷🏽 (@wordtoja) October 25, 2022
— Manny (@Nin3rswarri3rs) October 25, 2022
The new triple single king‼️ draymonds reign is over
— 🦆¯_(ツ)_/¯ (@cantguarddurant) October 25, 2022
https://twitter.com/chase80962480/status/1584732192747696130
More fouled out games than double digits 😭
— Dani. (@Danizeh) October 25, 2022
Ja baiting Ben Simmons into fouling out and then waving goodbye to him was so fantastic.
— Chris Vernon (@ChrisVernonShow) October 25, 2022
https://twitter.com/RodneyRikai/status/1584721178781831168https://twitter.com/JJMaples55_MST/status/1584712380575289344
I’m watching this Nets Vs Memphis game. Ben Simmons just gives the ball up and runs around setting half ass screens. Not to mention he’s getting blown by on defense. He either never recovered from that injury, or his heart just isn’t in it anymore.
— Glen (@Glenjr1988) October 25, 2022
Either play Ben Simmons at center or pull him. This offense can’t continue.
— Alec Sturm (@Alec_Sturm) October 25, 2022
Ben Simmons has 17 points and 14 fouls this season…
He's fouled out in 2/3 games he's played in pic.twitter.com/048AWiNHs4
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 25, 2022
Ben Simmons is the epitome of spoiled undeserving millionaires in professional sports. Overplayed to suck ass and refuse to develop his game in 5 years and gets paid tens of millions to suck ass just because he was born 6’10
— Joe Basile (@TameBasile) October 25, 2022
Nets fans finding out Ben Simmons can’t guard all 5 opponents at once pic.twitter.com/dzVEL2MRBC
— 4pf🧛🏻♂️💋 (@zawday) October 25, 2022
The Ben Simmons experience is hilarious when he's on someone else's team https://t.co/DhACbT6g4B
— Regular Season Sixers Enjoyer (@JakeOnSixers) October 25, 2022
Out of the 3 major stats in basketball, Simmons’ lowest season average comes from the points he has scored. This season, Ben is averaging 5.7 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists. He has immense value on the court but all of it is negated by his fouling habits and completely hopeless scoring game.
Can Simmons Turn It Around And Lead The Nets To Success?
Everyone has already seen the ceiling that awaits the Brooklyn Nets if Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant are their 2 primary players with a weak supporting cast. They were bounced out of the first round of the playoffs like that, so Simmons being on the court is already an improvement. His impact will determine the amount of success the Nets will have.
His defensive potential makes him extremely valuable next to KD and Kyrie, but he needs to be able to foul less to ensure he can contribute in late-game situations. The same goes for his scoring, as he can’t be on the court and provide anything if teams will foul him to send him to the line or not guard him and put extra pressure on KD and Kyrie.