“Not Betting on Ben Simmons Becoming an All-Star”: LeBron James’ Former Teammate Dismisses 6ft 10″ Star’s Chances at 2024 ASG

Ben Simmons has been public enemy #1 in the NBA for some time now. After a prolonged hiatus from the league due to injuries and other concerns, the Australian star has finally made a strong return, putting up a decent display in the preseason games. Even though Simmons has played only a limited number of minutes in these games, his performance has managed to impress most fans and pundits. However, ESPN analyst Richard Jefferson is not convinced that the Brooklyn Nets forward can become an All-Star in the 2023-24 season.

The former Philadelphia 76ers star’s fatal crunch time ‘fail’ in the closing minutes of Game 7 of the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals exposed the flaws in his game like never before. Since then, Simmons’ prolonged absence due to injuries and his struggles with mental health issues have only added to the narrative questioning his competence on the NBA hardwood. Richard Jefferson didn’t seem to believe that such a narrative could be erased in a matter of months.

Richard Jefferson doesn’t think Ben Simmons will make it to the 2024 NBA All-Star Weekend

During a recent episode of his Road Trippin’ podcast, Jefferson was asked about Ben Simmons’ chances to make it to the 2024 All-Star Game. Jefferson didn’t hesitate before answering, instantly dismissing the 6ft 10″ guard’s chances. LeBron James’ former Cleveland Cavaliers teammate also laid out the reasons behind his sombre verdict.

“No, I don’t think he will [become an All-Star next year]…He’s still super young. So if he regains the mental edge, maybe not this year, but I think eventually he could be. [But]..I’m not betting on that[Simmons reclaiming his All-Star status],” Jefferson said.

Even though RJ didn’t discount Simmons’ chances to regain his All-Star status in the league eventually, he seemed pretty dismissive about the 27-year-old doing that this season. The three-time All-Star averaged only 6.9 points in the 2022-23 season. So it will definitely be an uphill task for him to regain his All-Star status.

Simmons seems confident about the upcoming season

Like his decent showing in the preseason games, Simmons has been confident about his performance before the season start as well. The 27-year-old has high hopes about proving his critics wrong in the 2023-24 season. Therefore, it’s difficult to completely rule out Simmons’ chances to win an All-Star selection.

As Jefferson pointed out in his analysis, Simmons usually gets selected as an All-Star for his versatility on the court, including his contributions on the defensive end of the floor. Therefore, he doesn’t need to score a boatload of points to secure his nomination. However, with the way certain pundits have made up their minds about Simmons, the young forward might have to move mountains to win them over again before next year.