"You're Not Great" - The Broken Career of Ben Simmons

"You're not great".

In terms of defining Ben Simmons' career so far, the words of NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal couldn’t be more fitting. A problematic stint for the Philidelphia 76ers has landed the former number one pick in a tricky sitaution moving foward, as he has made clear that he no longer wants to be part of “The Process” but it seems little to no NBA franchises want a part of him either.

Back in 2016, Ben Simmons was the number one name in college basketball. The 6’9” combo gaurd showed every indication that he was going to be a star in the NBA, getting the nod from the likes of LeBron James and Dwayne Wade. Ever since it has been something of a downward spiral. Injury issues plagued Simmons rookie season and he didn’t offically step onto an NBA court until October 2017 but was quick to bounce back.

Ben Simmons - allproreels.com

Consistant seasons in 2018 and 2019 quickly earned him a spot as one of the NBA’s premier play makers and defenders, resulting in 3-All Star appearances and multiple nominations for Defensive Player of the Year. Doesn’t sound like a broken career right?

That is unfortunatley where the good news stops. Alongside Joel Embid, Simmons has been unable to bring the 76ers back to championship winning ways and has decided himself to end his stay in Philidelphia, demanding a trade in late August. However, this trade request may have been a bit premature as it seems Ben Simmons is part of a dying breed of basketball player in todays NBA.

Ben Simmons - allproreel.com

After being unable to develop any kind of jump shot, Simmons is more of a one trick pony than most may realise and it seems he has been unable to climatise to the NBA’s “adapt or die” lifestyle. Without any sort of shooting ability, Simmons is predicable to gaurd and therefore provides little to no offensive threat for opposing teams.

In a league that is progressing further and further beyond the 3-point line, Simmons marketability has seen a drastic decrease, and he could he headed for retirement a lot earlier than he expected.

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