Ben Simmons Shows He Is Still Afraid To Attempt Open Layups

Ben Simmons came into the 2024-25 season with the goal of proving his doubters wrong but he hasn't done a good job of that so far. In the fourth quarter of Sunday's game between the Brooklyn Nets and the Milwaukee Bucks, Simmons passed up a layup in a three-on-one situation and ended up turning the ball over.

Simmons had done well to steal the ball from Damian Lillard but everything that came after it was just bad. Once Dennis Schroder got him the ball, he absolutely had to attack the basket. I'd say almost every other player in that situation would have done that, especially with the Nets being up 106-89.

Simmons instead opted to pass to Cam Johnson who gave him the ball back right away. That meant the Australian was presented with another chance to attempt a layup but tried to pass yet again and turned it over.

The Nets home crowd couldn't quite believe what had happened and commentators Sarah Kustok and Ryan Ruocco were quite critical of Simmons for his actions. Kustok made it clear he had to attack the basket there.

"He has to go to the basket on that. Get it and go," Kustok said. "You've got a three-on-one, you have to attack the basket. That is exactly what you're talking about with him. Either draw a foul or make a basket. You cannot be afraid of getting fouled in that scenario."

Ruoco, meanwhile, stated he was staggered by Simmons' reluctance.

"His reluctance to go to the rim, it’s just staggering to watch on plays like that," Ruocco added.

It sure looks like that fear of potentially getting fouled when going to the rim and having to shoot free throws isn't something that will ever go away for Simmons. The first time we saw that, of course, was in that infamous Game 7 between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Atlanta Hawks.

You get the feeling that Simmons, who has shot 59.0% from the line in his career, never really recovered from a mental standpoint after this play. We have seen him pass up chances to score at the rim a fair few times since then.

Interestingly enough, this wasn't the first time in 2024-25 that Simmons has left fans frustrated by passing up an opportunity to attempt a shot and we are just three games into the campaign. The 28-year-old did it against the Hawks (again) in the opening game of the season, although, it was a much tougher scoring opportunity.

You could argue that Simmons was trying to make the right play, but again, a majority of players in that position would attack the basket. He just won't do it, though.

Getting back to that game against the Bucks, the Nets stunningly won 115-102. Simmons put up two points, six rebounds, six assists, and one steal in the contest.

Shaquille O'Neal Thinks Ben Simmons Never Recovered Mentally After The Series Against The Hawks

Simmons has been hammered by the media in recent years, with Shaquille O'Neal being one of his harshest critics. Back in September, O'Neal stated Simmons never mentally recovered after getting exposed in the 2021 playoffs.

"Ben is sensitive right, he came in with a lot of hype… When he got exposed… When he didn’t want to shoot in Atlanta and he kept passing the ball, and everybody was jumping on him, he got exposed."

I think that sequence had a very negative impact on Simmons mentally. All the injuries that followed in the years after just made matters worse too. Simmons is now a shell of his former self and I have serious doubts about him ever becoming an impactful player in the NBA again.

Related: Ben Simmons Fires Back Against Haters Who Claim He's Stealing From The Nets

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