Ben Simmons is a problem. Not the kind of problem that other teams have to deal with, but that his own team has to deal with.
Yes, he was two rebounds and two points shy of a triple-double during Friday night's win against Chicago, but the seven-year veteran intimated that he envisions himself as a starting player. As long as injuries aren't hampering him, Simmons sees himself as one of the starting five, according to this exchange with Brian Lewis of the New York Post.
.@NYPost_Lewis asked Ben Simmons about whether he thinks he should be starting. “I mean, whatever. Personally, I feel like if I’m at full strength, then I’m a starter,” Simmons told The Post. “That’s just what goes. But, yeah.”
— NetsDaily (@NetsDaily) November 2, 2024
The visions of grandeur for a player that cannot stay healthy, nor committed to basketball going back to his days with the Philadelphia 76ers is baffling .
Simmons's confidence looks shook around the rim and he has an unwillingness to take contact and trips to the free throw line due to his poor shooting percentage.
Simmons is a former three-time All-Star, but he's certainly far removed from that level of play after injuries have taken their toll.
Jordi Fernandez has this Nets group far exceeding expectations in the early season, and the last thing the locker room needs is Ben Simmons to put his personal priorities ahead of the team's.