It’s Early But Ben Simmons Is Actually Looking Like A Real Basketball Player Again

Nathaniel S. Butler. Getty Images.

There have been a lot of wild NBA careers over the years, but the career of Ben Simmons has to be up there. Think of what a roller coaster he's been since he entered the league. At first, he was this franchise building block 6'10 point guard and defensive monster with passing instincts that didn't really make sense for someone his size. Then it felt like he never really put in the work to improve and develop his game, and his shortcomings became an issue in Philly and things started to turn quickly.

Then, this happened

and it was all downhill from there. While his own off the court actions definitely play a role in how he's perceived, it's for sure taken to the extreme. When you have people coming up to him to talk shit while he's in a candy store in a mall, I think it's fair to say that people are a little weird when it comes to Ben Simmons

For example, I've always found it interesting that Simmons is apparently the only player in the NBA who goes viral for missing a shot. Plenty of NBA players miss shots, even some easy ones around the rim, but it's pretty much only Ben Simmons who gets dragged for it. 

In the spirit of full transparency, at one point or another, we've all made Ben Simmons jokes, I certainly know I have while he was on the Sixers. The "shoot a 3 you coward" stuff and whatnot. But I'm also of the thought that if we as the collective internet are going to highlight and talk shit about when Simmons struggles, then it's only right we keep that same energy and also talk about the other end of the spectrum when he actually looks pretty good. 

And while we all of course should be taking preseason reps with a grain of salt, the Ben Simmons I currently see looks a whole lot more like the early version before all this drama/bullshit happened

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The Nets don't need Simmons to be a 20 point scorer or anything like that. They just need the version we've seen so far in both of their preseason games. The fact that he's being aggressive at all is half the battle in my opinion. Before, whether it was mental or injury related, he played hesitant. He's at his best when he's causing havoc on defense and creating for others on offense while taking advantage of high percentage looks instead of passing those up.

While we of course need to see this consistently against NBA caliber teams, it's definitely a step in the right direction that I think deserves some praise. Again, if the internet is going to clown him for every shot he misses, we should at least also put that same energy to talk about when he actually looks pretty good. Given how little we've seem from him over the last two years on the basketball court, I think this matters.

The Nets are in a weird NBA Purgatory-type spot in that they have way too much talent to actually tank, but not enough talent to truly contend for a title. At least that's how they enter the season. That's what makes Simmons such a fascinating piece for them. Their post KD/Kyrie trade roster showed us it wasn't quite enough once we got to the postseason, but if they are adding a pre Hawks Game 7 Ben Simmons to the mix, that should not only change things defensively for BKN, but also solve a lot of their playmaking issues. There are only so many times you can live with Spencer Dindwiddie deciding it's time for the Spencer Dinwiddie Show. Now with a supposed aggressive Simmons in the mix, it gives them 3 legit defenders in Simmons/Brigdes/Claxton and allows Dinwiddie to move back to his off ball role as opposed to being the guy who was tasked with initiating everything for BKN but also loves to shoot the ball. 

Who knows if this version of Simmons is here to stay, but with all the shit he probably deals with on a daily basis, I think it would be pretty cool if he found a way to get back to the point of being a productive player. That doesn't mean perfect player, but certainly better than what we've seen these last few years.