There has been a lot of talk surrounding Ben Simmons' aggressiveness on the offensive end, or rather, the apparent lack thereof. ESPN analyst Brian Windhorst believes that there is a compelling reason behind the Brooklyn Nets star's unwillingness to take shots, and the renowned broadcaster has spilled the beans on Ben.

Speaking on a recent episode of ESPN's NBA Today, Windy revealed that Simmons' hesitation stems from the fact that the Nets All-Star point guard is scared of shooting free throws:

“The scouts who have been dispatched to watch Ben Simmons closely — and there have been a lot early in the season — believe the reason that Ben Simmons doesn't go aggressive isn't because he's afraid of missing the shot as much as he's afraid of being fouled,” Windhorst said.

Heading into Thursday's marquee matchup against Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks, Simmons had attempted just 20 shots in four games. He's averaged just 5.3 points in those four games, and while his playmaking has been excellent (he's dishing out 7.5 dimes per contest), the Nets need him to be much more aggressive in looking for his shot. At this point, his team wouldn't really mind if he misses them; he just needs to be some sort of threat on the offensive end.

The problem here is that Ben Simmons is also a terrible free-throw shooter. He's shot 59.6 from the line throughout his career, and he's currently averaging just 33.3 percent with the Nets. He probably knows that he's going to be on the receiving end of more criticism once his shortcomings form the line are exposed, which may have resulted in his reluctance to take shots.

Things aren't looking good for Ben out in Brooklyn right now.