When Ben Simmons was selected first overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in 2016, there was this hope that he and Joel Embiid could save the franchise from irrelevance. Simmons was part of the rebuild that is now fondly remembered as "The Process." At 6-11 and 240 pounds, Simmons was touted as a large point guard who could command an offense, all while eating the paint next to a big like Embiid. Unfortunately, his tenure in Philadelphia got off to a rocky start as he missed the entirety of his rookie season with a foot injury.
To be fair to Simmons, this is an issue that has plagued various rookies before him. Injuries happen, and you can't really fault a player for taking the necessary precautions, especially at a young age. Besides, once Simmons returned for his true rookie season in 2017-18, he was able to impress fans with his dominant play on the court. He averaged 16-8-8, all while winning Rookie Of The Year honors. It was a very successful season for the Australian, and it seemed like things could only get better from there.
Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
If you're an NBA fan, then you know that Simmons was heavily criticized during this time for not having a jump shot or a three-point shot. Point guards are typically very good shooters compared to the rest of their teammates, and Simmons was never that guy. After every Sixers' loss, pundits would point to Simmons' shooting issues and say "once Simmons gets a jumper, it's over for the rest of the league." Some people would even compare Simmons to LeBron James, noting that the point guard had all of the same skills as LeBron and that the only thing he was missing from becoming the best player on earth was a reasonable shooting percentage.
Hindsight being 20/20, these were absolutely ridiculous claims. However, at the time, they seemed somewhat accurate. The Sixers were consistently finishing at the top of the Eastern Conference standings, and Simmons was improving his numbers year over year. As many of you know already, however, that jump shot never came. Every single summer, someone on Simmons' team would post some propaganda to Twitter claiming that Simmons has been in the lab and that now, his shot is better than ever. By propaganda, of course, we mean those useless videos of Simmons draining threes in the face of dudes who play rec league basketball at the YMCA. These videos continuously tricked fans into thinking Simmons had improved, only for him to still be a fraud behind the three-point line.
With that being said, it seemed like every single year was the same exact story with Simmons. His lack of improvement on the shooting front had fans very concerned, and it all came to a boil last season in the NBA playoffs when Simmons was downright awful against the Atlanta Hawks. Throughout the series, Simmons refused to shoot the basketball and completely crumbled under the pressure. At times, it seemed like he didn't even care, and when he passed up an open dunk for a pass into a crowded lane, it was like a lightbulb had gone off in our collective heads, cluing us into the fact that Simmons is completely lost on the court. It was almost as if Simmons had lost his basketball powers at the hands of the Monstars. His downfall was downright sad to watch and it was made infinitely worse once the Sixers were eliminated from the playoffs.
Elsa/Getty Images
From here on out, Simmons began to show fans that he doesn't necessarily care about basketball, but rather, the lifestyle that comes with it. First of all, go to his Basketball-Reference page right now and you will see that one of his nicknames is "Young Socialite." Considering he has dated the likes of Kendall Jenner and now Maya Jama, it's an appropriate nickname to carry around. More concretely, however, Simmons simply stopped playing basketball despite all of the chances in the world to do so. Simmons could have easily taken the summer off to rebuild his confidence and prove people wrong, just like all of the great athletes do. Instead, he decided to lead the Sixers on a wild goose chase that eventually ended in him sitting out for the entire season. Simmons refused to play a single game for the Sixers, and there was even a time when he wouldn't report to training camp or practice. This resulted in numerous fines as the Sixers fought to suppress his salary. Eventually, Simmons came out and stated that he was having mental health problems and that's why he was taking time away from the team. Klutch Sports even got involved as the Sixers demanded Simmons to see the team's mental health professional. Had Simmons not done so, he wouldn't have gotten a single dollar from the Sixers.
Throughout this entire process, Simmons was angling for a trade and shockingly, he got just that at the deadline as the Brooklyn Nets sent James Harden to Philly in exchange for Simmons, Seth Curry, and Andre Drummond. It was supposed to be a good deal for both sides, however, it has been anything but. As soon as Simmons arrived in Brooklyn, he began making excuse after excuse. Prior to the playoffs, Simmons told the team he had a back injury and that he couldn't play. This followed him until Game 4 of the playoffs when Simmons said he would finally be able to return. What did Simmons do once game day arrived? He found a way to get out of playing. He told the team his back problems had gotten bad again, and he was able to escape a game in which the Nets got eliminated from the playoffs.
Elsa/Getty Images
Simmons does not appear to be a player who particularly cares about playing basketball. To some, this may be an extremely unfair statement to make. As I stated earlier, injuries do happen. In the case of Simmons, it is hard to truly give him the benefit of the doubt. From the start of his career, he has refused to improve the areas of his game that require the most work, and throughout this past year, he has shown a complete unwillingness to play the game of basketball. He has been given chance after chance to prove himself, and he just can't bring himself to do it. Despite all of this, he is still collecting his paycheck.
Next year, Simmons needs to return to the court. By that point, the excuses will have completely run out and if he pulls half the stunts he pulled this season, then it is safe to say the Nets should pull the plug. Unless Simmons can get back to being an all-star, the Nets should spend their money somewhere else.
