The Ben Simmons experiment has continued unabated in Brooklyn, New York with the former LSU Tigers college star and current Brooklyn Nets guard coming off of a season in which he scored just over six points per game while shooting a miserable 40 percent from the free-throw line. Simmons played in just 15 games, continuing a worrisome trend from seasons past.
On Wednesday, NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal unleashed a nuclear blast on Simmons with NSFW (not safe for work, and expletive laced) comments on the 6-foot-10 preseason workout warrior. O'Neal was asked who the worst NBA player is and promptly named the NBA's current Defensive Player Of The Year Rudy Gobert first. The host laughed and threw out Ben Simmons' name to which O'Neal called the Nets guard “another bum.”
O'Neal added that he still “walks funny” and has a hard time turning his neck in certain directions because of how hard he played during his career with the Lakers and other teams. He seemed to take a shot at Ben Simmons' effort on the court as well as Rudy Gobert's effort with his comments.
The O'Neal comments came during a time when a former Slam Dunk champion was added to the roster of the Orlando Magic. Meanwhile, Lakers legend James Worthy made comments about Olympic basketball that could be construed as a warning shot for Team USA about the rest of the world's progress.
Will Simmons ever see the light of day and become a first round pick worthy basketball player again? That depends on who you ask, but time is of the essence for the former Tigers superstar.
Nets G Ben Simmons' career statistics have gotten worse
Simmons has the body of a mythological Greek God that he doesn't mind showing off in preseason workouts and photos. Every year, NBA fans tire of watching the preseason Simmons hype only to watch him flame out by the time the regular season rolls around.
That's not to say Simmons isn't an NBA caliber hooper. He clearly is in that league, but the question remains whether or not he will ever come close to fulfilling his promise as the former number one overall pick from 2016.
Simmons' scoring average has decreased every year since 2019-2020. That's a worrisome trend for Brooklyn Nets fans who haven't seen an NBA Finals appearance since the days of Kerry Kittles, Jason Kidd and Kenyon Martin.
Shaquille O'Neal clearly has run out of patience on Simmons. He is the quintessential example of a player who has become a convenient target for NBA fans and analysts. Unfortunately, as the stats bear out, Simmons deserves the scorn and criticism. The hope now is that O'Neal's comments will light a fire under the former top pick and revitalize his career heading into the 2024-2025 season.
The Nets clearly need him, that much is for certain.
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