Charles Barkley believes Ben Simmons is in need of a sports psychologist: “He’s frozen on the court…He’s mentally blocked right now”
Brooklyn Nets forward Ben Simmons hasn't found the success people were expecting him to find after missing out all of last season. He suffered injuries and mental health issues after holding out to force a trade at the deadline from the Philadelphia 76ers in February.
Simmons dealt with the media, fans and even his own teammates being critical of him. Whether it be because of his passing at the rim against the Atlanta Hawks, or his offense not improving, the media and 76ers fans let him know.
Many are still worried that Simmons hasn't gotten back to the level of production that he's capable of because he's still thinking about what happened in Philadelphia.
NBA analyst Charles Barkley recommended that Simmons should go see a sports psychologist:
"I think personally [Ben Simmons] needs a sports psychologist. ... He's frozen on the court. ... Mentally, he's blocked right now."
"I think personally [Ben Simmons] needs a sports psychologist... Mentally, he's blocked right now."
— Charles Barkley
#NBATwitter #NetsWorld https://t.co/hsAF9psdGL
It is not a bad recommendation from Charles Barkley. If Ben Simmons could possibly find the right sports psychologist to get him over the hump, some believe that he can get back to his old ways and continue being a force on the defensive side and as a facilitator.
Ben Simmons speaks about playing
Ben Simmons had a recent interview with the New York Post and had some interesting things to say about some of the criticism that he's had to deal with while playing for Brooklyn.
Simmons admits that he loves basketball, but hates the outside noise that comes with it.
“I love the game. I love the game. Do I like all the bulls–t around it? No,” Simmons said at morning shootaround before the Nets faced the Kings on Tuesday night. “But I love the game and it comes with it.
“A lot of things come with being in this position. … But it is what it is. I love playing basketball and I love to work. Not every day is going to be perfect. Everyone has down days. But that’s life. Day by day pushing through and getting better.”
Ben Simmons brought up some good points throughout the interview and the best thing that he possibly said was that he understands who's in his corner and who isn't.
There are people out there that he doesn't need to listen to and there are people out there that he should be listening to. If he truly meant what he said, then things could eventually work out. He said:
“But at the same time, I know who I’m going to listen to and talk to. And then on top of that, it’s day by day. Everyone’s going to have certain expectations of me. Obviously mine are probably higher than everyone else’s, which they should be. But I know it’s going take time to get back to where I was. And I’m OK with that.”
Simmons has new opportunities ahead of him and even win an NBA championship alongside Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. It won't be an easy task, but anything is possible with Durant.