Getty Ben Simmons #10 of the Brooklyn Nets
The Brooklyn Nets acquired Ben Simmons at last February’s trade deadline as part of the blockbuster James Harden trade. Harden requested to be traded from the Nets after some of the drama surrounding Kyrie Irving and not believing that Brooklyn was in a position to win. That sent Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers and Simmons to Brooklyn.
Simmons after being traded, was unable to get onto the court for the Nets after battling a lingering back injury as well as a mental block that occurred, but after a summer of rehabbing, the star guard is expected to make his Nets debut to start the upcoming season.
Ben Simmons on Narrative he Can’t Shoot
The point guard recently joined JJ Redick on his Old Man and the Three Podcast, and one of the talking points was about the narrative that he can’t shoot and how that affects him.
“I think for a while, it was so just repetitive,” Simmons said. “Like, get off my case. I do other stuff too. Like, I’m guarding the best players. That’s one thing, too, that I don’t think people respect that enough what I’m bringing to the court. Like there is a lot of sh*t that I’m bringing to the court. For me, I just want to win, and people don’t understand that my goal is to purely win. I don’t go out there; I’m not trying to have this many points, you know, whatever it is. My goal is to win so I’m trying to do whatever I can to make the right plays and the right reads to help my team win. But that is for sure frustrating because it’s also one of my weaknesses so it’s like am I going to get mad at people for saying I’m not good at something? ‘Okay, yeah, cool. I’m going to practice and get better.’ It is what it is.”
The Australian star noted that he does so much more to make up for his weakness when it comes to shooting and that his priority always is about winning games. Redick made sure to mention while Simmons doesn’t make threes that he does create more threes for his teammates than any other player.
Simmons also shared that while the shooting narrative can get old, it only comes because people expect a high level of play from him, which is a compliment.
“If I was a guy that sucked and people didn’t care, then people wouldn’t be mentioning my name. Which is also for me; it’s like I’m proud for being who I am because people expect a high level of basketball from me, which I love. Because I’d rather be who I am than not on the f*cking court,” Simmons continued.
Simmons Role in Brooklyn Next Season
When asked by Redick if he would be shooting more threes for the Nets in his return from injury, the All-Star quickly replied, affirming that he will be firing from behind the arc.
“Yeah, I need to.” Simmons said, laughing about if he will be shooting three pointers.
Simmons is expected to get major runs at center on this Nets lineup. Because of his elite defense, he gives the Nets a unique versatility to go along with his playmaking ability that he will create as a point forward type role.
“On paper, the answer is Brooklyn, but the likelihood is that we see Ben Simmons playing the majority of minutes at center. The Nets also have Nic Claxton and Day’Ron Sharpe in a backup role.” Marks wrote.