In an interview on the 'OGs' podcast, NBA analyst Stephen A. Smith tore into Ben Simmons after a series of workout videos surfaced online. In a passionate rant, Smith ripped the 3x All-Star for essentially stealing from the Nets .
“The only injury that I've ever questioned is that damn Ben Simmons. He’s lucky he’s not in prison for theft… I’m sure of all the places he could really get focused and zero in on his basketball prowess. He’s going to pick Miami? Yeah, I'm sure he is down here... his Zoolander a**. I know he couldn't shoot but the skills set he has, everything else he has. He just don't wanna play. He [doesn't] love the game. I'm not saying he wasn't injured but I'm talking about an absence of love for the game. He was missing games before he was injured and they pointed to mental health. We can't dismiss the importance of mental health. The reason why I'm critical of it is because that never prevented you from making sure that check was in your account."
Stephen A. Smith is no stranger to sharing his hot takes about the game but he seems to have a special trigger when talking about Simmons. After years of watching Simmons "play," and watching him make millions in the process, Stephen A. has built up a lot of resentment toward the 27-year-old swingman.
In this case, however, the criticism may be deserved. Simmons, 6'10" was the first overall pick back in 2016. He rose to stardom during his Freshman season at LSU and was projected to be among the best young players in the game.
He won the Rookie of the Year for the 76ers in 2018 with averages of 15.8 points, 8.2 assists, and 8.1 rebounds per game on 54% shooting. Early on in his career, Simmons was nothing short of impressive, and his skill set was on par with the best in the league.
On the court, Ben could do almost everything. As a defender, playmaker, ball handler, and finisher, he was elite and it helped him secure three-straight All-Star selections from 2018-2021.
The problems for Simmons revolved around his three-point shooting. While the guy started the league as a non-shooter, it was expected that he'd improve and develop his game to at least become respectable from beyond the arc.
For his career, Simons has only attempted 36 three-pointers, with only five total makes. The last shot he made from that range was over two years ago. Eventually, Simmons' shooting woes started to impact more than just his shot. Consequently, it devastated his confidence as well.
After the 2021 playoffs, when Ben infamously passed up an open layup to avoid shooting free throws, his downfall began in full force starting with a trade from the 76ers. Since arriving to the Nets, it's been more of the same for Simmons who has only played in 57 games over the last two seasons.
Citing mental health as the reason for his lack of availability, Simmons went from a star to a complete joke on the court and his stats plummeted from 15.9 points per game for the 76ers to just 6.7 points per game for the Nets.
Now, without even Durant or Kyrie Irving to hide behind, Ben is on his own in Brooklyn and the pressure will be on for him to play well since he's on the last year of a maximum contract. From what we've seen so far, Simmons is unlikely to change now and it's more likely he'll be out of the league entirely than signing another contract next summer.
Related: The Smart Trade Idea For The Golden State Warriors: Ben Simmons Is Worth The Risk
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