Getty Ben Simmons #25 of the Philadelphia 76ers guards Kyrie Irving #11 of the Brooklyn Nets in the second quarter at the Wells Fargo Center
If you were making an All-Criticism team for NBA players, the Brooklyn Nets already have three of the top-five players you would list. Kevin Durant has been the subject of criticism at every turn since he made the decision to leave the Oklahoma City Thunder for the Golden State Warriors. It’s hard to remember that Durant was once one of the most widely loved players in the NBA and now finds himself on the all-criticism team. Kyrie Irving would have to be the starting point guard. Whether it is flat earth, forcing his way out of Cleveland and leaving Boston, or the vaccine mandate, Irving gets his fair share of flack in NBA circles. And now, with the return of Ben Simmons, he is the third Net that is a guaranteed player on the all-criticism team.
No player has their outside shots watched more closely or shared more widely than Simmons. Ever since college, a lot has been made about Simmons’ shooting ability or lack thereof. Simmons has played at an All-Star level his entire career and gets treated like he is a scrub. Simmons recently spoke about what he sees as unfair criticism pointed his direction all of these years in an interview with ESPN’s Nick Friedell.
Kyrie Irving on Ben Simmons Advice
Simmons isn’t the only one to have sat down with Friedell. Kyrie Irving recently spent some time with the NBA Insider for ESPN, where he shared what advice he has for his Nets and NBA All-Criticism team teammate.
“…This is an emotional time in our world. People attack other people for what they believe in, their jobs, whatever it is. So harsh criticism is part of it, but what’s justified is how you respond. And how you deal with it. … The moment he wakes up and he realizes like, ‘That’s not actually my life. I have a loving, supportive system around me of people that care about me, and these are people that I can go to for honest answers.’
Whenever you go to social media for honest answers, I don’t know if you’re going to return back smarter than when you went in. … There are also good people on there reaching out and wanting to help others, so I’m just one of those people for sure,” Irving told Friedell.
Irving noted that he should rely on his support system and that his Nets teammates are behind him. Where Simmons shouldn’t go for support, according to Irving, is social media.
Kyrie Irving on Supporting Simmons
Friedell followed up on Irving’s advice to rely on his support system by asking how the Nets make an effort to support Simmons in his return to the court.
“I think one of our greatest strengths as a human community is humanizing each other’s lives. He’s a human being, so he’s going to respond his way. And he’s going to deal with things his way, and we have to honor and respect that. That’s what people with integrity do. Not everyone lives by those same moral principles, so yeah, as a leader, I feel like it’s my responsibility to protect him, but I also must understand he has to go through things on his own. And when he asks for help, just be there for him. …
I don’t want to say I have all the answers figured out myself because it’s an ongoing battle myself, just dealing with those ebbs and flows. But for him, I just don’t want to see him get caught up in the same nonsense.” Irving told Friedell.