Ben Simmons is going through a rough patch in his basketball career. After not playing for the entirety of the 2021-2022 season, Simmons suited up for just half of the games during this past 2022-2023 season. When he did take the floor, his performance was subpar at best. However, set to earn $37,893,408 this coming campaign, the Australian star recently hyped his game up. Seeing this, countless Nets fans grew excited, considering Ben’s complete lack of confidence up to this point. However, Stephen A. Smith isn’t buying any of his promises.
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Ben Simmons was an elite player during his stint with the Philadelphia 76ers. But after being dealt in the blockbuster trade to the Nets, Simmons’ health has taken a huge toll. The former LSU Tiger hasn’t completely recovered from the back injury that caused him to sit out for the 2021-2022 season. Additionally, a nerve issue in the Guard’s back limited his playing time during the past campaign. Ultimately, after having suited up for 42 games in total, the Nets shut the 6-foot-10 star down for the season owing to knee injuries.
As revealed to ESPN Andscape, Ben now swears that he is feeling “100%”. With no lingering injury issues to hamper his performance, the 27-year-old vowed to be a better player than ever before.
Stephen A Smith rips apart Ben Simmons for promising to have an All-Star-type season
Stephen A Smith is among the group of people who were fuming after learning Ben Simmons’ comments. The ESPN analyst doesn’t seem to be a naysayer. However, Smith doesn’t believe that hyping himself up is the best move for Simmons.
Going on a passionate rant on the recent episode of First Take, the renowned sports personality called the 2018 Rookie of the Year out for “robbing franchises”. Later, the 55-year-old expressed being “pissed” at Simmons. Calling the All-NBA Player “Mr. Irrelevant”, Smith criticized him for talking himself up. Here is what he said.
“I’m pretty pissed off at Ben Simmons right now. I think Ben Simmons at this particular moment is trifling as hell. And I say that respectfully because I like him… But I have a problem with him, he’s talking before he actually does. This brother has been basketball’s version of Mr. Irrelevant for the last two years… Tremendous basketball player. And to be clear, ain’t sh*t as a competitor. Enough of the talk. I want to see Ben Simmons playing basketball.”
Ben Simmons has been one of the most hated players in the league ever since his debacle in the 2021 Playoffs. Suffering a shocking Conference Semifinals exit against the Atlanta Hawks, the southpaw put on an awful display. Seemingly afraid to take shots at the big moments, he merely averaged 9.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 8.6 assists on a horrendous 33.3% shooting from the charity stripe.
Since then, Simmons has clearly lost his mojo. Looking like a completely different player this past campaign, Ben struggled to make an impact for the Brooklyn side. Recording career lows in all major stats, the slasher lodged 6.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per game.
Gilbert Arenas believes that Simmons has the perfect shooting form
Standing at 6-foot-10, Ben Simmons has a size advantage over the majority of the other Point Guards in the league. Exploiting this mismatch, the multiple-time All-Star would make a fortune by thriving in the paint. While his performance around the rim is exceptional, Ben is an alarmingly dreadful shooter.
In today’s league, having a solid jumper has become a necessity. Having hit only five three-pointers across his five-year NBA career, Simmons struggles from the mid-range to long-range region. Despite the constant disappointment that his fans face, Ben keeps getting everyone excited with his long-range jumpers during his off-season workout.
As explained by Gilbert Arenas in the embed above, it’s much harder for Ben to replicate similar shooting success on the bigger NBA courts. As of now, the Nets coaching staff and fans will be more than happy if Simmons manages to return to the level of player that he was prior to the 2021 postseason.
