Ben Simmons and Giannis Antetokounmpo are players who have often been compared to one another by fans. Both are efficient finishers at the rim who are gifted athletically. Both are viewed as solid playmakers as well.
However, there is one key difference between the two, and that’s their level of aggression on the offensive end. Ben Simmons is often criticized for being more passive as a scorer, while there is nobody who will claim that Giannis Antetokounmpo isn’t an aggressive scorer. In a GQ interview, Scottie Pippen explained the difference between Simmons and Antetokounmpo.
He’s still a good basketball player. That’s his weakness: shooting the basketball. If you take that away from Ben Simmons, he got no weakness. That’s Giannis’ weakness, too. But, Giannis don’t mind being humiliated. That’s the difference between him and Ben Simmons. Giannis will go to the free throw line and shoot two fucking airballs and come right down the court the next time and try and dunk on you. If Ben Simmons miss a free throw, he gonna start passing it before he get to the free throw line on the other end. He didn’t even wanna cross half court with the basketball because he was so afraid of being humiliated going to that foul line. That’s why he didn’t try to make that dunk at the end of the game. He’s been doing it all year, bro.
Pippen’s pointed out what many pointed out: Ben Simmons had an aversion to going to the line during the 76ers series against the Atlanta Hawks. At the same time, we’ve seen Giannis Antetokounmpo miss a lot of free throws, and yet still try and keep scoring. Hopefully, Ben Simmons is able to improve his shooting and come back as the two-way star that many in Philadelphia know him to be.
