Ben Simmons missed all of last season thanks to various reasons. His desire to leave Philadelphia kept him off the court, and his injuries and mental health struggles certainly didn’t help either. Simmons was an All-Star in his early years in the league, and Nets fans were hoping he would recapture some of that magic, but he hasn’t.
While Ben Simmons is still a really good defender, his scoring has dropped massively. He wasn’t a volume scorer ever, but Simmons is averaging a very poor 7 points per game for the Nets. His vaunted defense isn’t what it once was either, and in the absence of Kevin Durant, he’s not stepped up too much. As such, he’s now caught a crisp comment from Jalen Rose, who joked that Simmons is stealing money.
“Ben Simmons is stealing money, ski mask and gloves, as a matter of fact. He has 119 fouls (and) 113 baskets this year. Only two of them outside of the paint. He’s shooting 43 percent from the free-throw line. That’s a guy they traded for James Harden.”
Those numbers are really bad, there are no two ways about it. And while James Harden’s relationships with Brooklyn had deteriorated, his production cannot even be compared to Ben Simmons. At least the Nets got Seth Curry out of the deal, and he has been emerging as a leader for the team. Even key people in the Nets hierarchy aren’t too pleased with Simmons.
Jacque Vaughn Called Ben Simmons Out For Making Big Mistakes
The Brooklyn Nets have been through endless drama in the offseason as well as to start this campaign. But throughout all that, they have somehow recovered enough to have a very good record. Jacque Vaughn has a lot to do with that, and even he has spoken about where Ben is going wrong.
“We need him to be productive, and that is without the fouls. That is helping us rebound the basketball. That is playing with poise and composure. That is pushing the pace for us.”
As Jalen Rose also mentioned, Simmons has been terrible with staying out of foul trouble this season, making a complicated return to basketball even tougher. The guard still has all the tools to be a max player and an All-Star but he still can’t quite seem to find his rhythm. These are concerning signs, and something for the Australian to figure out for himself.
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