[anyclip pubname=”2123″ widgetname=”0016M00002U0B1kQAF_M8169″]
Brooklyn Nets guard Ben Simmons has been one of the more interesting cases in the NBA in terms of players going from great to forgotten. Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green seems to understand that Simmons is still the same player he was during his days as a Philadelphia 76er.
Simmons came into the NBA as the first overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft out of Louisiana State University and even though he missed one-and-a-half seasons for Philadelphia, he still managed to achieve a lot during the other four seasons. The native of Melbourne, Australia won the Rookie of the Year award for the 2017-18 season as well as making the All-Rookie squad.
He was also a three-time All-Star, was All-NBA third team in the 2019-20 season, and led the league in steals during that campaign. However, Simmons’ career has seemingly changed ever since the 76ers’ 2021 Eastern Conference second-round playoff series against the Atlanta Hawks when it appeared that everyone had enough of Simmons.
Simmons started the next season by holding out until Philadelphia traded him to Brooklyn, but could not play because of a back injury that required surgery. The last season wasn’t any better for Simmons as he played just 42 games and averaged just 6.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per game which all represented career-lows for him across the board.
From watching Simmons play for the past few seasons, most in the NBA space have concluded that the Aussie has lost confidence in his game entirely. Green seems to second that claim knowing that it’s shocking to see a shift like that in a guy like Simmons who was on the path to greatness:
“Ben Simmons is still the same Ben Simmons we watched dominate in Philly. You know the only difference between Ben Simmons in Philly and Ben Simmons now? It’s confidence. Once you lose your confidence, and I feel bad for people who lose confidence in their game, but I feel bad. I know how it feels to lose confidence because I lost confidence in my shot.”
[lawrence-related id=54205,54200,54193]