How Bad Is Ben Simmons Actually?

I know people who want to try and be my friend because I'm might be in the NBA I might have a nice contract and be on TV and famous but I'm not friends with anybody okay Ben Simmons zero basketball there is zero chance he'll be about Ben Simmons is right now the best show in sports NBA Rookie of the Year is it it's not right to say you got more productive in the second season he did you think Ben Simmons can still be a point guard for a championship too David I don't know that question or the answer to that right it's the most pathetic excuse ever seen [Music] Ben Simmons fall off has been unlike anything else in this game the dude had it all from the time he was in high school number one Prospect by a landslide Awards a monstrous contract touted as the next LeBron James and even dated Jenner it's safe to say that coming into the NBA and maybe even now there's very few talents that have touched the floor with the level of natural ability that Simmons Garners from a 610 frame ridiculous play making skills a sky-high IQ while being a nightmare matchup for every player in the world on the defensive end despite the path being all but laid out foreign Simmons watched as over a couple years he bounced from a top player in the NBA to NBA bus discussions and one of the most hated NBA players of all time as a guy his own teammates don't seem to like and positionless player who sucks at all five positions for a player of his talent level it's easy to see why people look him as a quitter and an all-around bomb the making of one of the most polarizing players in NBA history didn't come from nowhere so what made the NBA's biggest underachiever as an Australian native it's not usual to make it to the highest stage in competitive basketball but it's also not usual to have a six nine dad who put up 40 bombs in the Australian basketball league so I guess it's not too surprising he was one of the best players in the world at every level he ever played at playing and learning under the coaching of his father he dominated the Australian scene taking home championships and MVP Trophies whenever they were going out his secondary level of Australian football to quickly become the best Australian talent in the continent at age 15. his game only continued to grow as he would take up a scholarship to play at the Australian Institute of sport in 2012 and represent the Australian FIBA team at just 15 years old despite the early age he was one of the top prospects in the country and already had his eyes on a spot and a Payday in the NBA bouncing to montverde Academy in Florida was definitely a step in the right direction as they don't have a shortage of NBA talents including future teammates Joel embiid and alongside future Eskimo bro and DeAngelo Russell coming in it's no surprise the two Were Far and Away the best high school duo in the country as finishing 28-0 with a national championship with 18 and a half 10 and 3 averages Ben Simmons was the best player in the 2015 High School class and it wasn't even close a six foot eight Ford who ran like a deer could jump out of the gym pass out a double teams if he needed to but he really did as he could bulldoze to the basket at any point at this level there was truly no answer for the Ben Simmons problem and it wasn't long until the athletic point forward were known as the next LeBron it's especially in the climate we're in with whatever these kids are eating it's easy to forget the prospects of yesteryear but looking back at this time he was more hyped in towns who's probably more hyped than Wiggins he might have been more hyped than Anthony Davis and he might have been more hyped than Blake Griffin to some it may be irrelevant but Simmons definitely was one of the most dominant high school players since the birth of the internet 28 points 12 rebounds four assists and 2.6 steals made him the best player with the Naismith and Gatorade player of the year to prove it natural Talent dominates at this level and making 7 out of 10 shots proved he was by far the best individual talent in the country despite all the clout being touted as the next LeBron James he denied the flashier more traditional routes he wasn't interested in Kentucky or Duke and chose to go to LSU due to his Godfather serving as an assistant coach for the Tigers on a not so competitive team Ben was running the show and then some leading in everything that was in three point of free throw shooting with 1912 and five averages with two steals a game and nearly a block despite missing out on the NCAA tournament Simmons left his mark on the NCAA Brandon Ingram was a talented player but Ben had what seemed like a limitless upside the best transition player by a mile with decision making of an elite point guard coming from a seven-footer a legitimate Point Ford who hadn't even come close to his potential for good or for bad there was a lot of areas that Simmons could improve his game primarily in the half court offense his back to the basket play wasn't too diverse his screen and role play as a ball handler and a real man was not very elite and his jump shot was completely non-existent this also wasn't all that came with picking Simmons either and in hindsight this may not have even been the worst of it as a kid who really know nothing other than dominating every level of basketball he touched Simmons complacency was completely evident getting to the tenant finishing over you was pretty easy and if you bring help he knows you're coming before you even do the blessing that this is also comes with a price as the lack of a fully formed game makes you wonder when the best coaches in the world are playing against you how thick can they poke those holes that are already in this game whether you watch 10 years or 10 minutes of Ben Simmons basketball you still knew who the top pick of the 2016 draft should be and without hesitation the 76 is cashed in on their future Cornerstone after a historically poured 10 and 72 season the Sixers were bound to turn things around the return to Joel embiid marked big things for the future of this team but sadly we would be forced to wait here for the duo to play as Simmons broken foot in training camp would leave him out for the 2016-2017 season after a season on the sideline his height was definitely stunted as he fell into the black horse Rookie of the Year candidate but everyone who believed that Simmons Talent would translate to him being an immediate impact player couldn't have been more correct he grabbed the league by the balls and it's kind of rookie season 16 8-8 made him by far the best rookie in the league if you want to consider him that and one of the best Rookie of the Year campaigns in modern NBA history even at the highest level Simmons was a notch Above the Rest it really didn't take much more than we had seen from him in the past but the mix of the ultra talented point forward and more playing time by the new franchise big the Sixers jumped from 28 to 52 wins this season the acquisition of these two should not be understated their presence alone turned Philly from one of the smartest teams of all time to one that had what looks like the best young core in the NBA running into his first playoff series in his first NBA season Simmons was Far and Away the best player on the court this entire series with a new triple double average there wasn't many that questioned his talent coming into the league but those who did were quickly silenced as after just one year in the NBA Simmons ascended into the League's upper echelona players the domination just seemed to never end but after the red hot start to his playoff career there seemed to be some trouble in Paradise although extremely talented the holes in his game made him stoppable when game planned correctly and that was clearly done well by the Brad Stevens Celtics with your two main options being interior scoring threats sagging off and clogging up the lane took away Simmons entirely at times including a 1.5 turnover performance in game two and although series totals were not too far off as regular season numbers this series foreshadowed an issue that would plague Simmons for his entire career entering year two I think it's safe to say that the expectations were to continue to grow from this point onward he had all the tools you could need to dominate the NBA but to reach that level there are some major hurdles that he needed to climb and despite reaching the All-Star Game in just his second year in the league his number is clearly plateaued along with the team's success it's clear as offensive game did not see any measurable improvement from his rookie year although still quite Elite and probably just out of the top 15 already is basic and advanced metrics dictate a minor Improvement if any at all although starting to Garner attention for the defensive versatility that he provided it's hard to gauge whether he improved or is just put in a better role to succeed despite having show no life is a shooter he was a 22 year old who could run the point at 6 10. so hey you can't be too mad I guess as playoffs rolled around a pair of matchups that seemed rather dry turned out to be all-out movies the unlikeliest of Thieves formed after game one loss to the Nets would Jared Dudley of all people let it be known that within the half court Ben Simmons is average I'm not sure what that makes Dudley but nonetheless synonyms did respond well to this with 17 7 and 8 averages despite major pickups of Toby Harris and Jimmy Butler taking up a lot of shots as the Sixers took the next four games bouncing into the next round I'm sure you remember the shot to finish it off with an all-time classic finale this also is one of the most back and forth series of the 2010s with play seeming rather inconsistent for Ben with pretty mediocre averages it started to become clear that he was not a guy who could possibly show up every night being rather matchup dependent and doing most of his work in the open court when all is going well yeah Simmons was one of the best talents in the NBA when things are not going so well Closeouts are weak and transition opportunities are limited Simmons never seemed to have the motor to kick it up a notch and would rather set it in cruise control through two seasons Ben had yet to make a three-pointer taking the ropes as the poster boy had jump shot away from taking over the league the off-season training video started to build the facade despite a pretty decent looking jump shot form the translation from off-season training to a real game success was pretty much just a fantasy unless you consider a one-off pull-up against a Chinese team in improvements despite an all defensive team selection and even an all-nba third team spot sevens and the Sixers continued to tread water he may have been an All-Star and he'd let you know that too but he started to guard a doubt from even the most loyal fans and beat his greats and has the potential to lead a team but with his partner in crime at times being a subpar NBA player the push to the promised land was going to be a whole lot harder and unless Simmons really dug in his boots as the 2020 season took an unexpected turn the Benson and Saga began taking a Twist as well after a back injury sidelined him in the regular season and a knee injury sidelining him for the playoffs in his first major time off the floor since his rookie season with the loss the Sixers didn't stand a Fighting Chance getting swept by the Young Guns Celtics in a series that you think would be a lot more competitive in a lot of ways this showed you the value that Simmons could have a legitimate one through five stopper can slow down an onslaught from the wings but it was never exactly the opposition that was holding him back following what you could call his worst year in the NBA up to this point the cementate was blasted to a high that was completely unforeseen after reaching career lows with a team tired of waiting on his offensive developments then spent the season playing for the team that was looking ready to pull the trigger to get him out of their City despite the drama the Sixers ran through the East this year and very well could have seen an embed MVP two years early before matching up with the Atlanta Hawks in the second round it's safe to say that if you weren't banking on him now you wouldn't be banking at him after as Not only was Ben Simmons exploited in the series it's safe to say that he was mentally destroyed despite shooting 45 free throws in a seven game series he failed to average 10 points per game sagging on defense repeatedly sending four guys back to Slow's transition play and going under every screen challenge Simmons to turn up the motor and similar to what we've seen so far in his career when the going gets tough he tended to get lost disappearing into a spot-up shooter who can't shoot at the end of games shooting 33 percent from the line through a hack of Simmons into all-out abuse from every direction worse came the worst as in game seven Simmons made the pass heard around the world scared to go up on basically a traffic cone sitting in front of him Illustrated the lack of aggressiveness that plagued him as embiid pinned the loss on the swing of momentum he caused and his own team couldn't BS and answer on whether Simmons was his guard of the future Simmons was one of the most ridiculed men in the NBA at this point as times got tough and his own fans started to turn on him he once again decided to quit requesting a trade after what he views was disrespect from his teammates and team alike putting him on the trade block as he refused to play another game in a Sixers uniform missing training camp pretty season at the start of the regular season fresh off of his worst playoff performance of his life and it's what became the worst contract in the NBA he may not be playing but there was no exit route in sight for the Ben Simmons Saga after eight million dollars in escrow was put on the line Simmons finally returned to team activities and which was kicked out of practice for refusing to participate and what many people think was a lie to save his own pocket Simmons then set out for mental health reasons until the league had enough and Simmons would find more than most people make in a lifetime in the span of less than a year Simmons relationship with the team went from good as a near Defensive Player of the Year talent to bed at a point where fans were quick to point out the loser on the team so now where no one really stood for Simmons as a player teammate or person to remove one drama queen I guess you need to bring in another as in February 2022 Simmons would be shipped to Brooklyn for James Harden Landing in the Big Apple it's safe to say there is some sort of fit here failure in Philadelphia was certainly not due to issues and play style directly although point forward we can't shoot doesn't exactly complement a post-scoring big but now sharing the floor with two of the best shot creators the game's ever seen adding a defensive weapon who can force transition opportunities brings a whole new Dynamic to the greatest what-if team in recent years since of course it was all just wishful thinking diagnosed with a herniated disc in his back Simmons would not be taking the floor this season as Simmons who hadn't played since the past that likely replays in his head every night I think everyone is ready for his return and even Ben seemed ready as he planned to return for game four of the first round facing an elimination game before pulling out and watching his team get buried while he rides the bench after back surgery in the off season Ben returned for the 22-23 season in which Nets fans certainly did not enjoy they moved on from their star players and Ben was certainly not one of them with triple single averages and a shit-tastic 44 free throw percentage at just 26 years old it seems like his best days are way behind him from time to time the flashes of what was are still there he's still a very athletic follower who can see everything on the court and guard just about everyone but at the same time he's also a kid who seems to have his own set of issues and just doesn't love the game anymore the Nets struggled to even find a role for him as a ball dominant guard who can't dominate with the ball and with only five career threes under his belt he's kind of a complete nuisance playing off of it maybe we're a little hard on what he was going through at the time but as a kid who never faced a bump in the road up to this point seeing a spoiled Kardashian boy pack it up was in a way satisfying Simmons will more than likely never regain his reputation as throughout the years a guy who never improved his offensive game a bit just isn't going to receive the benefit of the doubt but the chance of rebuttal is strictly up to him Ben Simmons in many ways was what we expected to a level we couldn't expect as weird as it sounds Ben Simmons was the next female he did come into the NBA and he did terrorize it at times but his entitled Persona and lack of Drive was to the level that no one could have expected maybe with all that talents he could revive what looks like the most disappointing turnaround in the NBA or maybe Ben Simmons just drove himself into the grounds all I know to this point is that this is the Ben Simmons story thank you for watching if you made it this far and I'll see you boys in the next one peace out

Channel: Swish County

Views: 101,203

Keywords: ben simmons, ben simmons highlights, ben simmons nets

Id: qJpAD3g-cb8

Length: 16min 28sec (988 seconds)

Published: Sat Sep 16 2023