Charles Barkley believes Ben Simmons’ prima donna attitude caused all his troubles with the Philadelphia 76ers: "For him to get pissed, that tells me he thinks he’s an alpha male"
Ben Simmons’ career with the Philadelphia 76ers didn’t end the way it was supposed to. The No. 1 pick of the 2016 NBA Draft forced his way out of Philly after a traumatic playoff series against the Atlanta Hawks.
Charles Barkley, on “The Bill Simmons Podcast,” explained why there’s no love lost between the 76ers and the Australian basketball star:
"All the 76ers asked him to do was to get better at basketball. … He’s like ‘I’m Ben Simmons, you can’t tell me to get better at basketball.’
"Well, yes we can, we’re paying you $35 million and you’re not where you need to be as a basketball player and your first response is ‘Screw you all, I don’t wanna be here.’
"For Doc Rivers and those guys to tell Ben, ‘Yo, man, you gotta get better at basketball.’ For him to get pissed, that tells me he thinks he’s an alpha male."
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Ben Simmons sat out his rookie season due to a foot injury before becoming an All-Star in three of the next four seasons. He was an elite defensive player and playmaker but was a terrible 3-point shooter, which made him a liability on offense, particularly in tight situations.
The former Rookie of the Year winner was badly exposed in the 2021 Eastern Conference semifinals against the Atlanta Hawks. Simmons was so afraid to shoot that he didn’t attempt a single shot after Game 4. In the first three games, he was only 3-3 from the field, which is ridiculous coming from an All-Star point guard.
Starting Game 5, Simmons wouldn’t even look at the rim or attempt to drive to draw defenders. Opponents weren’t afraid to foul him as he was horrific from the free-throw line. He shot 33% of his freebies against the Hawks and only 34.2% (25-73) in the entire 2021 playoffs.
It’s the worst mark in postseason history for a player with at least 70 attempts.
Ben Simmons is 0-0 FG in the 4th quarter of the last 4 games. https://t.co/R6PcUkCqIR
Here’s what Ben Simmons had to say after the humiliating series:
"I ain't shoot well from the line this series. Offensively, I wasn't there. I didn't do enough for my teammates. ... There's a lot of things that I need to work on."
Ben Simmons says offensively he was not there for the Sixers in the series vs Atlanta
Sixers react to their stunning game 7 loss https://t.co/ZKdQRJRnnA
He never worked on those weaknesses during his entire stint in Philly and ultimately demanded to be traded.
Ben Simmons is off to a shaky start with the Brooklyn Nets
Most basketball analysts do not expect Ben Simmons to be anything more than an inept shooter. The Brooklyn Nets are counting on his playmaking and defense to make an impact.
Simmons has tallied 17 points, 21 assists and 14 fouls so far this season. He has fouled out in three of the games and is averaging 42.9% from the free-throw line. Defenders continue to disrespect his outside shots and spend their time playing help defense whenever Brooklyn’s shooters have the ball.
Ben Simmons has 17 points and 14 fouls this season...
He's fouled out in 2/3 games he's played in https://t.co/048AWiNHs4
Defense is supposed to be Ben Simmons' calling card. He was a perennial All-NBA Defensive team member during his time with the Philadelphia 76ers. Simmons was even touted to be last season’s Defensive Player of the Year before he sat out.
The Brooklyn Nets are dead last in defensive rating so far this season, three percentage points off the second-worst team, the Memphis Grizzlies.
It’s still a long season and Simmons is in the best position of his career to succeed. He’s never been surrounded by this many shooters in seven seasons in the NBA. But at some point, he has to be better on offense or will risk getting benched in crucial moments of the game.