We’ve reached that point in the NBA offseason.
Brooklyn Nets guard Ben Simmons was at it again during the team’s media day, trying to convince everyone he can still be an impactful player. He promised fans that he’s fully healthy after a back surgery that limited him to just 15 games last season with his agent saying he’ll be a “full go” for training camp.
NBA fans don’t buy it anymore.
Year after year, Simmons promises he’s healthy and looks impressive in posted videos during the offseason, only for his body to betray him later. Even when he was an All-Star with the Philadelphia 76ers, the videos would still come out, promising an improved jumper and offensive game— none of which happened.
If Simmons can’t return to his All-Star form this year — or even show glimpses of it — he never will. It might be a stretch to say that he’ll be out of the league if he can’t, but his NBA future is largely unknown. He’ll earn over $40 million this year, but this is the final year of his contract, meaning he’ll be an unrestricted free agent next summer.
The $170 million max contract he signed with the 76ers in 2019 has turned out extremely poor, and regardless of how well he does this season, no team would give him that type of money in free agency. Health has been the biggest issue, as he played in just 57 games over the past three seasons and missed all of the 2021-22 campaign.
Across the league’s history, no player has played more than 15 games and earned more money per contest than Simmons at $446,791.
Even when he has been healthy for the Nets, he didn’t look like the player who made an All-NBA team five years ago and was an All-Star four years ago. Over the 57 games he played for Brooklyn, he averaged 6.7 points, 6.7 rebounds 6.0 assists and 1.2 steals per game. Those aren’t bad numbers, but it’s not even close to the production a max player should have.
During his All-NBA season, Simmons averaged 16.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8.0 assists per game. He led the league in steals with 2.1 per game, earning a spot on the All-Defensive Team and finishing second in Defensive Player of the Year voting.
His defense has declined more each season since his trade to Brooklyn. Albeit a small sample size, the 15 games Simmons played last year represented the worst defensive rating of his career at 112.
He’s looked equally bad on offense and is still unwilling to put the ball on the floor. Last season was the first time he didn’t even attempt a single three-pointer, showing no improvements.
For Simmons, this is his last chance. The Nets have no expectations for this year and are shamelessly tanking for top prospect Cooper Flagg in next year’s draft. It’s a perfect opportunity for him to prove to the rest of the league that he’s healthy, and if he can’t take advantage, the All-NBA version of Simmons is nothing but a distant memory.
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