Nets’ Ben Simmons ‘better now than he was in his All-Star seasons,’ coach says

Ben Simmons is gradually declining from being one of the NBA’s young stars to being a potential deal breaker before he turns 30.

A former No. 1 pick in the 2016 NBA draft out of LSU, Simmons has battled back and leg injuries and a slump in his offensive game for years, and it seems likely that neither he nor his current team, the Brooklyn Nets, want their marriage to last.

The good news is there’s a chance it won’t have to last the entire season. Simmons is in the final year of a brutally generous five-season, $177.2 million contract and will earn $40.3 million in 2024-25.

Read more: Ben Simmons Gets Major Health Boost Ahead of Nets 2024 Season

Depending on how the season goes for contending teams, there’s a chance Brooklyn could negotiate a way out of Simmons’ contract for teams in need of long-term salary cap relief. The price tag would likely mean getting the veteran’s long-term contract back in exchange for Simmons, but there’s a chance that if the Nets play their cards right, they could actually get some draft capital in return.

Simmons’ shooting coach Chris Brickley posted a video clip of Simmons working on his shot during the offseason. It’s a common habit for Simmons, but it’s never really improved his shot. Brickley has an impressive resume, having helped out LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Kevin Love.

Thanks man, but Ben is healthy, moving really well, he’s better now than he was in his All Star seasons. I’ve never signed a player who didn’t prove it early in the season. Trust me. https://t.co/B2r0Z0UKtX

— Chris Brickley (@Cbrickley603) September 18, 2024

In response to the fan’s pessimism, Brickley spoke out.

“Thanks man, but Ben is healthy, moving really well, better now than he was in his All-Star seasons,” Brickley wrote on X. “I’ve never signed a player who didn’t prove it early in the season. Trust me on that.”

A former three-time All-Star with the Philadelphia 76ers from 2019-21, Simmons was rarely healthy during his career in Brooklyn. Simmons appeared in just 57 games over two and a half seasons of potential action with the team, averaging a meager 6.7 points on 57 percent shooting from the field and a woeful 43.1 percent from the free throw line, to go with 6.7 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.6 blocks per contest.

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Those numbers are a far cry from his four healthy seasons in Philadelphia. In 275 regular-season games for the Sixers (all as a starter) from 2017-2021, Simmons averaged 15.9 points on 56 percent shooting from the field and 59.7 percent from the charity stripe, 8.1 rebounds, 7.7 assists, 1.7 steals and 0.7 put-ups per night.

The 6-foot-1 forward was also named to the 2019-20 NBA Third Team and was named to the All-Defensive Team twice.

Frustrated by his own dismal 2021 playoff run with Philadelphia, Simmons was a rare holdout in the NBA heading into the 2021-22 season, eventually forcing his way out of the team when team president Daryl Morey traded him to the Nets in exchange for 10-time All-Star and 2018 MVP James Harden, who was also seeking his own out-of-town move (a frequent request of Harden’s).

The question remains whether the 28-year-old Simmons will be paid more than the veteran minimum next year, but it seems likely given how his time in Brooklyn has turned out.

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