“That's not a good sign to me unless you're gonna be Michael Jordan the rest of your career” - NBA analyst comments on Ben Simmons' "dark place" situation, says even Jordan faced criticism initially

For the first time in what seemed like forever, Ben Simmons opened up about his struggles from last season. The Australian finally addressed some of the issues that hounded him since his final days with the Philadelphia 76ers.

On “The Old Man and the Three” podcast, Simmons said that he didn’t have the support of the 76ers. For him, it was a traumatic experience that sent him into a “dark place” where he couldn’t play basketball.

Chris Broussard, on “The Odd Couple” podcast found Simmons’ revelations to be questionable:

“That's not a good sign to me unless you're gonna be Michael Jordan the rest of your career. And there's not going to be any negative talk about you. And I'm talking about Jordan once he started winning championships because we know there was negative talk about Jordan.”

Michael Jordan was spectacular even in his rookie season. He became an All-Star in his first year and had the league buzzing with his highlight reel dunks and nearly unstoppable scoring.

But Jordan also received a ton of flak for putting up numbers without turning the Chicago Bulls into winners. In Jordan’s first three postseasons, he won only one game in the playoffs and was swept twice by Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics.

How in the world did we get to the point where there was a narrative that Michael Jordan didn’t/couldn’t make his teammates better? What in the... #TheLastDance https://t.co/3FQ58ehKKW

Amid all the praise and hoopla, there was always the stinging backlash that Jordan was all about numbers. The critics used to have a field day dismissing Jordan’s accomplishments since he couldn’t lead his team to the championship.

Unless Ben Simmons can replicate what "His Airness" did, which was to eventually win titles, the criticisms aren’t unlikely to go away. Broussard said:

“What if you hit a rough patch with the Nets? … Even if your home fans are booing. If Kyrie yells at you, shrugs his shoulders at you cause you won’t take a shot, Kevin Durant yells at you. You gotta be able to play through that!”

Broussard further drove home his point:

“If Ben Simmons can’t play under the duress of the negative backlash from the fans. Negative backlash from his coach or teammates. Then it’s a problem dude and it’s not everybody else. You’ve got to get over that if you want to play.”

📺@HuskeyEnt: "There's more pressure on the Brooklyn Nets than any other team in the NBA this season coming up."

📺@Chris_Broussard: "The Nets problem to me is all about what's between the ears. Will KD lead? Will Kyrie do the right thing? Will Ben Simmons play?" https://t.co/zbApSnyXio

The Brooklyn Nets are built to help Ben Simmons succeed

Ben Simmons has never played with this many shooters while he was with the Philadelphia 76ers. The Brooklyn Nets’ bevy of outside snipers should highlight Simmons’ impressive court vision, reading of the game and passing.

He will have to launch the occasional 3-pointer just to keep the defense honest, but the Nets can live with those misses. As long as Simmons makes an impact with his playmaking and versatility, Brooklyn’s offense can function due to Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.

Brian Windhorst says he would rather have Ben Simmons over Russell Westbrook

“Number one, he’s younger. Number two, he’s bigger. Number three, he defends, and I need a high-level defender to win at the highest level.” lakersdaily.com/brian-windhors…

Simmons’ biggest influence for the Nets will be on the defensive end, where he is truly built to dominate. Simmons’ blend of size, length and defensive skills is nearly unmatched in the NBA.

It’s anybody’s guess how Ben Simmons will play after the “trauma” he admitted he went through last season. All eyes will also be on the Nets due to all the trade drama that surrounded the team in the offseason.

Season can't come soon enough https://t.co/iQDujmdyb4

The three-time All-Star has to play through that and hopefully help carry the Brooklyn Nets to the championship. Winning cures many things. It may not completely silence the critics, but it can tone down toxic lambasting.