The Simmons File
- 1st Overall Pick in the 2016 NBA draft
- Three All-Star selections, 2019-2021
- Rookie of the Year award, 2018
- Led the NBA in steals, 2020
- One All-NBA Third-Team selection, 2020
- Two NBA All-Defensive Team selections, 2020, 2021
A Case of the Yips
Some people can acknowledge their flaws, address them, and live to see the fruitful results.
Ben Simmons is not one of them.
Simmons entered the league as a highly-touted prospect who was a jumper away from being generational. It wasn't out of bounds to suggest he would slowly develop that skill and become a very, very good two-way player.
Instead, the inability to shoot became what Simmons was, rather than a part of his game. He would be mocked for his rare attempts and "disrespected" by defenders. When he would go cold, his offensive woes would spread, as would the criticism of his game.
The pinnacle of this was in a Philadelphia 76ers playoff game, where Simmons refused a wide open dunk in a critical moment, opting to pass. Philadelphia would lose that Game 7, and series, to the Atlanta Hawks.
Simmons would take steps away from the game, citing mental health and physical concerns, at least in part due to the criticism he faced.
Now a Brooklyn Net, it will be up to him to redefine himself as a basketball player with a bad shot, and not the man who can't shoot.