Shannon Sharpe compares Ben Simmons to Deshaun Watson, says their lack of confidence led to decline
NFL legend turned analyst Shannon Sharpe compared struggling NFL quarterback Deshaun Watson to Ben Simmons, who is considered as one of the biggest fall offs in the NBA in recent times. The Australian point guard came out of LSU touted as one of the most special talents the league had seen, even drawing comparisons to LeBron James thanks to his play style.
Simmons has seemingly lost confidence in himself after starting his career on a strong note. Sharpe noted similarities between the Brooklyn Nets player and Watson on Monday's edition of his Night Cap show.
“I don’t think Deshaun, I don’t think what happened--same thing, look at Ben Simmons,” Sharpe said. “Look at Ben Simmons in basketball, Ocho. All-Defensive, All-Star, All-NBA, Rookie of the Year; yeah, he got hurt, but his mentality was that what happened in Philly.
"Y’all remember I said he was never going to be the same. His coach and the best player on the team (Joel Embiid) criticized him. I said it’s over. I said he was done in Philly.”
Sharpe recalled when everything changed for Simmons in the 2021 NBA playoffs. When under the rim by himself, he didn't dunk the ball and gave a pass that complicated the play and prevented the Philadelphia 76ers from getting two easy points. After that Game 7 against the Hawks, Ben Simmons' relationship with the team changed forever.
“I can teach you to swim if you’re not afraid of the water. If you’re afraid of water, I can’t teach you how to swim," Sharpe added.
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Ever since he was traded to the Cleveland Browns after multiple women accused him of sexual misconduct, Deshaun Watson was never able to replicate the play he did with the Houston Texans.
In 2020, he led the league in passing yards with 4,823. Four years later, he's leading the league in sacks (26) and yards lost due to sacks (154). The fall off of Watson has been dramatic and the comparisons with Simmons aren't inaccurate.
Ben Simmons' teammate says he'll help the Nets 'shake the NBA'
After only playing 15 games in the 2023-24 NBA season, Ben Simmons is ready to bounce back with the Brooklyn Nets. He hasn't hyped up his offseason workout videos as before, seemingly focusing on doing work without drawing much attention.
Dorian Finney-Smith made a bold prediction about Simmons' performance this campaign, saying that the guard is healthy and looks great. He added that if Simmons returns to his best level, the Nets will 'shake the NBA:'
“People don’t know how healthy Ben [Simmons] is going to be. But we’ve been seeing him for the last four weeks and he looks great. So, if bro gets back on the court, I feel like it’s gonna help our team a lot, and we’re going to shake the NBA.”
This isn't the first time something similar has been said about Simmons, so we have to see and wait for how the season unfolds.