Getty Ben Simmons of the Brooklyn Nets
Former NBA player Chandler Parsons does not think Ben Simmons will ever return to the star he once was with the Philadelphia 76ers. Worse yet, he doesn’t believe Simmons’ tenure with the Brooklyn Nets will end well.
Parsons gave his thoughts on what is holding Simmons back while predicting where he goes from here career-wise and how his time with the Nets will end.
“It’s a strong mental block, in my opinion, where he just can’t overcome it,” Parsons said. “We have to stop talking about it. We have to take him for what he is. I think, eventually, it’s gonna lead to a buyout, and he’s most likely a minimum player for the rest of his career. Until he magically kind of shows that he can play and produce at a high level again, but it’s really crazy how big of a turn this has taken on a guy.”
“He’s most likely a minimum player for the rest of his career…”
@ChandlerParsons on Ben Simmons 👀
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Simmons is putting up numbers that are a far cry from what he was putting up during his Sixers’ days, including points per game (6.9), assists per game (6.1), rebounds per game (6.3), and steals per game (1.3), which are not satisfactory numbers for someone who will make $35.4 million this season.
It’s very possible that Simmons could turn things around, whether sometime this season or next, but Simmons has not looked like the player that made the all-star team three-time, made two all-Defense teams, and one all-NBA team.
Nets Insider Says Simmons Has No Trade Value
Alex Schiffer of The Athletic revealed in a mailbag that the Nets have not lost hope with Simmons, but have no hope to trade him for anything of value.
“The Nets haven’t given up on Ben Simmons,” Schiffer said. “The day after Vaughn said the rotation was getting cut and would reflect the lineup for the near future, Simmons was the sixth man. Given he has no trade market right now, I think it’s hard to give up on the guy who is now the highest-paid player on the team. They need to find a way to get him going (more on that later) because there aren’t really any alternatives.”
Schiffer then added which Net he’d like to see Simmons play with.
“I’d like to see Simmons play alongside (Spencer) Dinwiddie and see if Dinwiddie’s improved 3-point shooting can give them some different looks with him off the ball. Or just give Simmons some nights where you play him 30 minutes at point and see what the returns are. But that’s tough to pull off with Dinwiddie healthy and playing well.”
What Fueled Simmons’ Fear to Shoot
An Eastern Conference executive revealed to Heavy Sports’ Steve Bulpett how a playoff game between the Sixers and Washington Wizards started Simmons’ fall from grace.
“They’re playing Philly a few years ago, and Philly’s up by around 20. Brooks starts putting Simmons on the line in the fourth quarter, and the game is getting closer as Ben is stepping to the line and bricking more and more foul shots. So finally, Bradley Beal had to foul him. Usually, you don’t have your best player fouling, but at that point, he did.
“When that happened, Ben and Beal had this sort of animated conversation. Ben said, ‘I’m tired of you motherf*****s fouling me on purpose, man. I’m going to step up here and knock these two down. Five thousand dollars says I will.’ To which Beal replied, ‘You wanna make it 20?’ And then he went up and bricked one. I don’t think he said another word.”
The executive then revealed that games like those led to Simmons’ fear of shooting the ball.
“There were certain indicators of this struggle early on. How did you miss it? And that is why he won’t shoot the ball. He lives in fear of having to shoot free throws or shooting airballs from the floor.”