Ben Simmons betting Bradley Beal $20k on hitting both his free throws once backfired hilariously in a game, reveals anonymous Eastern coach
An anonymous Eastern coach recently revealed an interaction between Ben Simmons and Bradley Beal at the free-throw line. With the Brooklyn Nets star putting money down on his shooting prowess at the free-throw line, the coach outlined how the "Hack-a-Ben" approach worked in their favor.
Simmons is widely regarded as one of the most gifted players to play the game. However, his output on the floor has often fallen far short of expectations. As a top-tier playmaker and defender, Simmons could have offered a lot of value on the floor to the Nets. Unfortunately, due to injuries and personal issues, he hasn't been able to produce at the level the Nets would have hoped for.
When Simmons joined Brooklyn, several fans raised their concerns about his scoring ability. Considering his reputation as a pass-first player who's averse to scoring, Simmons garnered a lot of criticism from the media. While also considering his lack of an offensive bag, that seemed justified. Although his fit with the Nets seemed to mask all these shortcomings, an Eastern Conference coach revealed how the Wizards took advantage of that.
Hacking is quite a common strategy in basketball. While some would call it underhanded, hacking has certainly been effective. With that in mind, the coach revealed that the Wizards used the "Hack-A-Ben" approach to send the Nets star to the free-throw line.
Moreover, the coach also revealed a hilarious interaction that backfired for Simmons. Speaking about Simmons heading back to the free-throw line after being fouled, he recalled:
"When that happened, Ben and Beal had this sort of animated conversation. Ben said, 'I'm tired of you motherf*****s fouling me on purpose, man. I'm going to step up here and knock these two down. Five thousand dollars says I will.'"
"To which Beal replied, 'You wanna make it 20?' And then he went up and bricked one. I don't think he said another word."
An anonymous eastern coach says the Wizards tried the ‘Hack-A-Ben’ method and….
(Via @SteveBHoop ) https://t.co/D6tElMWqOl
Ben Simmons, who has a career FT average of 59.1%, was in no position to really make a bet of this sort. However, it also seems to have become a bit of a trend for things not to go Simmons' way.
Since leaving Philadelphia, the guard hasn't turned a lot of heads with his performances. While additionally factoring in Brooklyn's large-scale roster modifications, Ben Simmons could find himself out of the rotation.
Ben Simmons is remnant of a different era in Brooklyn
Ben Simmons may have enjoyed star status at one point in his career. However, that has changed in the last few seasons. He was considered a part of the Nets' big three alongside Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Now, though, he's the only remnant of a failed era.
With Durant joining the Phoenix Suns and Irving joining the Dallas Mavericks, Simmons is the last remaining star on the team. That too may only be temporary, as Brooklyn's new arrivals establish themselves.
Ben Simmons has already been relegated to coming off the bench for the team. Considering that he's in the final year of his contract, it seems unlikely that any team will offer him a max extension. That could be the end of Simmons' time as a star-caliber player.