Ben Simmons still has no NBA home.
I'm scratching my head now, considering how far Simmons has gone from Great.
Simmons has become an afterthought. And, I scratched my head again, thinking about this.
The 6-foot-10-inch and 240-pound point guard is destined to be a player of the generation. The Sixers' first draft pick in the 2016 draft should be one of the league's faces in decades.
“It's unique in a sense,” former Indiana Pacers coach Nate McMillan said hours before his team's game against the Sixers on November 3, 2017. “LeBron [James] As close as a big guard, it handles the ball like he does. magic [Johnson] That's another person. For a long time, the league has really not seen a big point guard. ”
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Simmons and 6-9 pounds, 250 pounds, are often compared because of their fusion of size, athleticism and playing abilities. Both use their court vision and scale to launch an offense and create scoring opportunities for teammates, especially during transition periods.
Simmons missed his entire rookie season after breaking his fifth meta bone in the preseason. But he was then won Rookie of the Year in 2017-18 and was named All-Star in the following three seasons.
This led to Simmons signing a five-year, $177.2 million contract with the 76ers on July 16, 2019.
At that time, Simmons was a triple-double machine and one of the young superstars in the NBA. For the ownership group and the front desk, extending the contract is an easy decision.
In the 2018-19 season, he averaged 16.9 points, 8.8 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game. Simmons also had 10 triple-doubles when his career total increased to 22 years old. He joined Hall of Fame member Oscar Robertson as an NBA player who tripled at least 10 times in each of his first two seasons.
Simmons also joined another Hall of Fame Robertson and Johnson, who are the only players who have been able to record at least 200 points, 100 rebounds and 100 assists in their first 13 playoff games.
“Ben Simmons is a big part of our core and is one of the most dynamic and talented young players in the NBA,” General Manager Elton Brand said in a July 16, 2019 statement. “For our organization, this is a priority for us to eventually extend our contract with Ben this summer.
“Ben has a positive impact on the game in many ways and we look forward to continuing to be with him as one of our leaders.”
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In addition to becoming a perennial All-Star Game, he also became the runner-up of the year for 2021.
However, four years later, he found himself behind Josh Giddey, Malcolm Brogdon and Russell Westbrook as free agents still offer the best point guards. The Boston Celtics, the New York Knicks, the Sacramento Kings and Phoenix are reportedly interested in Simmons as they hope to increase penalties next season.
The winning franchise will receive different players. The psychological barriers associated with his shooting struggles and ongoing back injuries have left Simmons unable to withstand lofty expectations.
Simmons's back problem
Simmons has been dealing with low back issues since the 2018-19 season.
But when he caught the rebound in practice on February 19, 2020, the first day of the All-Star break of the season, he started the worst. He received treatment and missed the next day's game against the Brooklyn Nets.
The next game is on the way to the Milwaukee Bucks on national television on February 22, 2020. Simmons participated…only 4 minutes and 44 seconds.
He took a few moves as you look at the start of that game. He scored on several layups. But you can tell his back is tight.
He did a back injury while driving to the basket and stopped hard on the way to the layup. Simmons came out of the game after several series.
76 people labeled the injury as “nerve impact”, also known as pinching the nerve.
He missed eight games because the NBA closed in mid-March due to the competitive pandemic. Simmons returns to Walt Disneyland for the league restart and ends the game with 19 points, 13 rebounds and 4 assists against the Pacers in the “Bubble” on August 1, 2020.
But after two games, he left the bubble after Cap left knee dislocation against part of the Washington Wizards. Later, he underwent surgery to remove the loose body of his left knee.
76 people have bad blood
Simmons' term in Philadelphia ended when he was transported to the Nets on February 10, 2022 in a blockbuster deal with James Harden. The move came after a five-month stalemate. Simmons refused to report to the camp during a meeting with Daryl Morey, coach Doc Rivers, and Josh Harris, president of Brand. He also told them that he no longer wanted to be six.
Simmons ended up with up to two types of exercises, but did not interact with his teammates, and was kicked out of his second exercise after refusing to participate in the exercise. He was fined for missing the first 54 games of the 2021-22 season and fined for other disciplinary measures.
Simmons' relationship with the organization became irreparable after the Rivers lost Game 7 to the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference semifinals on June 20, 2021.
At that time, the Inquirer’s David Murphy asked the coach of Simmons’s most prominent supporters and guards if he could be the point guard for the championship team.
“I don't know the answer right now,” Rivers answered a night with five points, 13 assists and eight rebounds at Simmons, while he wasn't on the floor for the last 40 seconds of his loss of 103-96. He only tried four shots and shot two shots. He played timidly, as if worried about going to the foul line.
The remaining 3 minutes and 29 seconds were obvious, and the 76ers were behind 88-86. Simmons drove to the basket and passed by Danilo Gallinari, but an open dunk was revealed under the basket, giving the ball to Matisse Thybulle, who was fouled by John Collins. Thybulle made one of two free throws.
After the deal, Simmons remains different for the rest of the 2021-22 season, partly due to his back.
The failed Nets' term
Once Simmons sets to make his Brooklyn debut, the Nets have high expectations.
But it turns out that he might have been better if he didn't force the Philadelphia trade, especially after the Nets traded Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant in 2023.
Simmons finds himself the face of the Nets series.
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This is not a good thing because he does not have the ability to replicate his past success.
Simmons averaged what is the average in scoring (6.9), rebounds (6.3), assists (6.1) and minutes (26.3) in 2022-23. He also shot 43.9% from the foul line. As a result, he was replaced in some later situations.
Role-playing reserve
Back problems persist. Simmons lost some of its trademark explosiveness. On February 8, he averaged 6.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 25.4 minutes of game-69 starts in his three seasons in Brooklyn.
Simmons signed with the Los Angeles Clippers two days later, averaging 2.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists and a career low of 16.4 minutes in 18 games on the bench.
However, Simmons is the only player in the season to score the 70th percentile in defensive position versatility, defensive gameplay, appearance isolation defense and defensive activities, along with Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green, Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes and Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac.
So Simmons still has a seat in the NBA, and Simmons turned 29 on Sunday.
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But he is no longer considered a talent passed down from generation to generation, no longer listed as the top of the opponent's reconnaissance report.
He becomes a situational character, backed up, and someone hopes to prove that he can still have a positive impact.
Ben Simmons averaged 15.9 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.7 assists as the Sixers were gone.