Ben Simmons hasn’t played a regular-season game with the Nets yet.
His preseason debut looked promising. But the last time fans saw him on the court during non-exhibition action, things didn’t go well. After a tumultuous postseason performance against the Hawks, Simmons had one of the messiest divorces in NBA history with Philly.
It is no secret that an effective jump shot would make him a better player, and even Simmons knows that. But do we have to make the same joke every time he even shoots the ball? Because frankly, it’s repetitive and boring and it does not help anyone.
Ben Simmons 🤣 pic.twitter.com/p8JbvW0fik
— Ahn Fire Digital (@AhnFireDigital) October 11, 2022
Simmons was at Brooklyn’s annual Practice in the Park (which drew more than 8,000 fans) when he casually shot a basketball that landed nowhere near the basket.
It wasn’t a good-looking shot, but also, who cares? It was just a non-serious shootaround, and it didn’t matter. Simmons isn’t pretending to be Ray Allen. He’s his own player, and he’s a fairly good one.
Brooklyn’s Seth Curry recently insisted Simmons doesn’t need a jumper to be unstoppable, and head coach Steve Nash agreed (via New York Post):
“Very unique,” Nash said. “That’s what makes Ben great. That’s why I don’t care if he ever shoots a jump shot for the Brooklyn Nets. He’s welcome to, but that’s not what makes him special and not what we need. He’s a great complement to our team and he’s an incredible basketball player because of his versatility.
“He’s a great screener, terrific vision. With his size and speed he’s able to push the ball in transition and also get in the gaps. So a great fit for Kevin [Durant] and Ky [Irving] to try to make the game a little bit easier for them.”
Simmons is no longer a new player in the league. He is a three-time All-Star who has earned Third-Team All-NBA honors. He was the steals champion in 2020, and he was already named NBA All-Defensive First-Team twice.
Combine that with his Rookie of the Year trophy and the fact that has never missed the playoffs, and you’ve got an incredibly accomplished player. But Simmons is only 11 months older than Indiana Pacers wing Chris Duarte, who was just named NBA All-Rookie Second-Team last season.
there’s really a weird obsession with Simmons within NBA discourse. that’s the only explanation at this point for the same ‘he can’t shoot’ joke every other day 🥴 https://t.co/8u4AA0a9bc
— Ashley Nicole Moss (@AshNicoleMoss) October 11, 2022
You can laugh at him for missing a jumper all you want, but have you not yet gotten bored of yourself?
It’s not even clever! People miss jumpers all the time! We need to get the microscope off Simmons and just let him hoop because what we’re doing right now simply isn’t healthy.
