On paper, 26-year-old Ben Simmons has the tools he needs to be one of the best players in the game. With size, strength, and a natural feel for the game, Ben has already shown us what he can do at his best.
But after missing a whole season, for reasons that are still uncertain, Ben is far from the player he used to be. In his debut on Sunday, he barely made an impact at all, putting up just 4 points on the night in 23 minutes.
In response, the NBA community has been on fire with criticism towards Simmons, and ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins was among the loudest critics of them all.
Kendrick Perkins Calls Out Ben Simmons After Pathetic Nets Debut
Appearing on First Take Thursday morning, Thursday morning, big Perk dropped a bombshell on Simmons, essentially calling him soft while pointing out his lack of a killer mentality.
“We keep acting like Ben Simmons is gonna come back and have some type of All-Star caliber season. And this is the thing, we question a lot of people when it comes down to having that killer instinct, that killer mentality when we talk about guy like LeBron and the late great Kobe Bryant. I realized this: Ben Simmons ain’t nothing but a family dog, a good golden retriever! When a stranger comes ringing the doorbell, instead of him barking and getting aggressive, he get to wagging his tail. And he’s not gonna change. I look at it like this: Zion Williamson did whatever the hell he wanted. Okay. If Ben Simmons is not gonna be aggressive offensively, what is he known for? He’s known for being one of the most versatile defenders in the league. He didn’t show that. You also just said he showed up not ready to play. How are you not ready to play on a new team in a new situation, after what you did last year in Philly?”
“Ben Simmons is nothing but a family dog, a good golden retriever!”@KendrickPerkins isn’t afraid to speak the truth 😂 (via @espn)#BrotherlyLove #Sixers 🔵🔴 pic.twitter.com/lQc7fH4zNR
— RB (@RBPhillyTake) October 20, 2022
Nobody is blaming Simmons for his poor offensive performance. After sitting out for so long, it makes sense that it would take some time before he finds his rhythm.
But he didn’t show much on the defensive end, and barely attempted a shot that wasn’t a wide-open dunk.
In the end, this is not the debut Nets fans were hoping for. After so much hype around Simmons and the stunt he pulled last year, one would have thought he’d show up this season ready to make amends for his antics.
Instead, he is proving to be much more trouble than he’s worth.
