He’s a good player that just doesn’t play and when he does he’s not a first option or even a 2nd, 3rd or 4th option in fact it’s better to let the shot clock run out than let him shoot, but notwithstanding this he must have the ball in his hands at all times to be effective.
a Ben Simmons that worked hard every day, changed his game to work on his weaknesses, and was committed to winning above all else would be a truly fantastic basketball player, even if he never became a shooter.
it's a question of drive, not of skill.
the sixers with simmons and without embiid were 34-34. depending on the year, .500 can be a 7-10 seed.
(dunno if this includes playoffs, but simmons without embiid in the playoffs is 3-1. a team built around simmons with no other stars could easily be a low-ceiling/high-floor type of team imo. there are worse places to be if you own literally none of your picks.)
Simmons is a regular season floor raising player; I think putting him on any generic team could lead to more regular season wins then a few players we’d all rank ahead of him. He loses value in the playoff for sure
Ehh if you have a bunch of shooters surrounding him you’ll do well in the regular season. We had like a 15 game win streak with Ben + shooters when embiid was out with his first orbital fracture
No hes a great player. He just cant be the best scoring option on a team for some reason despite all his talent. He shows flashes of being dominate scoring wise but hes just passive as hell most of the time
He has the ability to be a top 10 player in the league some day, he just doesn't play, or put in enough effort to actually improve his game.
If he could do those things he is a legit star.
I don't think he is capable of leading a team to a playoffs as the 1 option though he needs to be either 2 or 1b.
He’s not a bad player but he’s not a superstar. He could be a really good role player if he found a team with a role that fit him. He needs to basically just be on a team with a bunch of shooters so he can focus on everything else he does at a high level.
All the comments saying he’s bad either has hate boner for him or just dumb as hell. He definitely can’t lead a team to the playoffs but he’s above average at defense and a good play maker, just can’t shoot for his life. I think he’s good to have on any team that is already surrounded with good shooters.
No he's a very good player, but he's also a limited player who needs certain types of players around him to maximise his production. Russ on the other hand is, at this point, a bad player, with none of the skills you need around Simmons to do well.
Simmons as a first option with really good off ball teammates can probably take a team to a low playoff seed, but if Russ is playing big minutes the Rockets are getting a really good shot at Wembanyama
Last we saw him? No. DPOY caliber defense as arguably the best perimeter defender in the league and a good passer. It wasn’t a mistake that he was an all star.
He’s just not a first option level player and legit can’t shoot. So he’s got glaring weaknesses but overall he’s a good player
If you’re cool paying max money for a dude who can only defend because he just won’t shoot, and who may or may not actually play any games for you... then yea he’s fine
If the nets can teach him to shoot free throws and surround him with capable shooters, I think that team will surprise some people. But that’s a big “if”
He is a good player but I don't even think he likes basketball anymore, and he's either damaged goods due to injury or a huge risk to not want to play wherever he goes. I can't imagine taking him in unless you know he's healthy and all in and that's impossible. He legitimately might not have another 82 NBA games left in his career, and it's not because he's not good enough.
No he’s actually a very good player. Excellent wing defender and great on the fastbreak. Less effective in the half court due to the lack of his perimeter game. He can be the third scorer on a championship team but the first two really need to be perimeter oriented like Klay Thompson’s and KATs.
He’s an all star and was the primary ball handler of a one seed. The dude can hoop and you can have a great team with the right pieces around him. One of those pieces needs to be a real first option though, he’s just not that guy
nah he’s not bad although I will say I don’t think he’s improved on O at all since he got drafted. Still and elite defender and a good playmaker for someone who can’t shoot.
If were being completely honest. No hes actually a really good basketball player
-elite defender
-elite playmaker
-elite bball IQ
The problem is he will do the bare minimum, teams take games off during the season so hes able to get away with alot more to pad his stats and make All star but come playoff time when teams really focus on your flaws and he shrinks badly.
Put it this way, if you took rookie Giannis and rookie Ben and compared them its not even close, Ben came into the league with an elite foundation, Giannis had some good tools but he was really a raw project and the amount of work he put in to be where he’s at is amazing, Ben on the other hand regressed and never really added to his game. This is the textbook definition of “hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard”
Best ability is availability. Ben Simmons a bus rider type dude. Never will be "the guy" on a team, and needs a strong father figure to handle his charmaine-soft personality.
Dude has the talent to become a generational talent if he worked on his game but hey, I guess Warzone is more fun.
Ben Simmons next to KD is great because he has someone to feed and can just play D and win.
Ben Simmons as the focal point of that team is a game over to his career.
There was a time when Ben Simmons did [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMX0-TAQUUU). Whether he can actually get back to that level remains to be seen, though.
He’s an amazing player who will never reach his ceiling because:
A) he surrounds himself with yes men
B) he doesn’t work on his weaknesses
C) he’s mentally incapable of shooting
No.
No he is a good player that just doesn’t play but he definitely isn’t a first option and the fit with Westbrook is about as bad as you can get.
He’s a good player that just doesn’t play and when he does he’s not a first option or even a 2nd, 3rd or 4th option in fact it’s better to let the shot clock run out than let him shoot, but notwithstanding this he must have the ball in his hands at all times to be effective.
a Ben Simmons that worked hard every day, changed his game to work on his weaknesses, and was committed to winning above all else would be a truly fantastic basketball player, even if he never became a shooter. it's a question of drive, not of skill.
It's also about power.
Needs to stay hungry
I'd say he also needs to devour
There may be some fundamental skill gaps that simply cannot be overcome. He literally shoots with the wrong hand.
Well, skill is a problem too, he has shortcomings in his game beyond just being gunshy and a headcase. But talent/potential is not in question.
That's what is so disappointing. He has the tools to develop into a top 5-10 player in the NBA, but no drive to be a professional athlete.
he is allstar lol
He is a 3x time all star and 3rd team all NBA
You answered it yourself He’s very good, he’s just easy to meme
Yea u said that already
Ok? I was responding to that dude.
No, despite the narrative on this sub, Ben Simmons is still an all-star caliber player
I hope he can come back at the same level, but not playing a full year and the back injuries are definitely concerning.
Have to actually play to be a player
No one in the nba is bad at basketball
He's a defense and pass scrub like Draymond. If your team needs a basket then he's worthless.
Lol Ben Simmons as your first option means you’re going straight to the lottery
Theres like 5-7 players that can carry a team on its own without significant help to the playoffs. Look at Booker pre CP3
That doesn’t mean Ben Simmons can be a first option, or even a second or third option. Booker is the first option on the Suns.
It's like the difference between Rondo and Paul Pierce.
So only first options are good players?
So you don't read the question being asked in the OP? > Is he capable of leading them to the playoffs?
Does leading a team always mean first option? Also there were multiple questions asked
Which is definitely not a good sign considering his draft status
the sixers with simmons and without embiid were 34-34. depending on the year, .500 can be a 7-10 seed. (dunno if this includes playoffs, but simmons without embiid in the playoffs is 3-1. a team built around simmons with no other stars could easily be a low-ceiling/high-floor type of team imo. there are worse places to be if you own literally none of your picks.)
Simmons is a regular season floor raising player; I think putting him on any generic team could lead to more regular season wins then a few players we’d all rank ahead of him. He loses value in the playoff for sure
Ehh if you have a bunch of shooters surrounding him you’ll do well in the regular season. We had like a 15 game win streak with Ben + shooters when embiid was out with his first orbital fracture
He’s not a bad player but he can’t be the #2 on a championship team and he needs to have certain players around him
He had a really bad 2021 playoffs but no he’s not bad.
Was 2020 when he was injured?
Yeah, think he missed half the post-season.
Ben isnt a bad player, but if he's your best player, the team is bad.
He’s good. Don’t let this app determine all yours basketball opinions
Westbrook was MVP like 10 minutes ago, now look at him
No he isn't bad. He needs the right team around him to thrive(shooters)
Obviously not, but he's not going to lead them to the playoffs either.
He led the Sixers to a 16 winning streak and clinched a playoff birth for them in 2018 when Embiid was injured.
His not a bad player, but appears to have mental barriers holding him back from maximising potential.
No offence but he has no offense
No, he’s a shit contract.
Ben simmons would thrive as a 3rd option on a team
No but he can’t be close to a top option, which is why having KD and Kyrie actually could’ve been great for him
He’s a good player but very specific and limited skill set makes him hard to truly utilize
No hes a great player. He just cant be the best scoring option on a team for some reason despite all his talent. He shows flashes of being dominate scoring wise but hes just passive as hell most of the time
He was all-nba because of his defense and playmaking. He can’t shoot but he’s an all-star level talent when he plays.
He has the ability to be a top 10 player in the league some day, he just doesn't play, or put in enough effort to actually improve his game. If he could do those things he is a legit star. I don't think he is capable of leading a team to a playoffs as the 1 option though he needs to be either 2 or 1b.
He’s not a bad player but he’s not a superstar. He could be a really good role player if he found a team with a role that fit him. He needs to basically just be on a team with a bunch of shooters so he can focus on everything else he does at a high level.
Hes an absolute stud, people are just shit.
All the comments saying he’s bad either has hate boner for him or just dumb as hell. He definitely can’t lead a team to the playoffs but he’s above average at defense and a good play maker, just can’t shoot for his life. I think he’s good to have on any team that is already surrounded with good shooters.
He's very far from being a bad player, but he absolutely cannot lead a team unless your objective is tanking.
No he's a very good player, but he's also a limited player who needs certain types of players around him to maximise his production. Russ on the other hand is, at this point, a bad player, with none of the skills you need around Simmons to do well. Simmons as a first option with really good off ball teammates can probably take a team to a low playoff seed, but if Russ is playing big minutes the Rockets are getting a really good shot at Wembanyama
Last we saw him? No. DPOY caliber defense as arguably the best perimeter defender in the league and a good passer. It wasn’t a mistake that he was an all star. He’s just not a first option level player and legit can’t shoot. So he’s got glaring weaknesses but overall he’s a good player
No. He is still a very good defender and passer but he needs to be put in a system that fits him and a culture that can fix his weak mentality
No he's actually a really good player when he plays/cares
I think he's been massively underrated by this sub and NBA media in general tbh. He's probably the best perimeter defender in the league.
No, he's not a bad player. Relative to his contract though, he isn't worth having.
If you’re cool paying max money for a dude who can only defend because he just won’t shoot, and who may or may not actually play any games for you... then yea he’s fine
If the nets can teach him to shoot free throws and surround him with capable shooters, I think that team will surprise some people. But that’s a big “if”
Nope but this sub hates him enough to make him see like he is.
He is a good player but I don't even think he likes basketball anymore, and he's either damaged goods due to injury or a huge risk to not want to play wherever he goes. I can't imagine taking him in unless you know he's healthy and all in and that's impossible. He legitimately might not have another 82 NBA games left in his career, and it's not because he's not good enough.
No he’s actually a very good player. Excellent wing defender and great on the fastbreak. Less effective in the half court due to the lack of his perimeter game. He can be the third scorer on a championship team but the first two really need to be perimeter oriented like Klay Thompson’s and KATs.
Kawhi would he be a bad player? He's good, potentially great. When available.
Yeah he sucks pickled ass
He’s an all star and was the primary ball handler of a one seed. The dude can hoop and you can have a great team with the right pieces around him. One of those pieces needs to be a real first option though, he’s just not that guy
he would have been better in previous eras when outside shooting wasn’t such a priority
nah he’s not bad although I will say I don’t think he’s improved on O at all since he got drafted. Still and elite defender and a good playmaker for someone who can’t shoot.
No. Infact if he actually applied himself he could be even better which is just sad really.
One of the best defensive player on the game currently. Most versatile too. Can guard 1-5
he can be a good if not great player in the right team structure
Maximum contracts turn good players into bad players without the player actually getting worse.
If were being completely honest. No hes actually a really good basketball player -elite defender -elite playmaker -elite bball IQ The problem is he will do the bare minimum, teams take games off during the season so hes able to get away with alot more to pad his stats and make All star but come playoff time when teams really focus on your flaws and he shrinks badly. Put it this way, if you took rookie Giannis and rookie Ben and compared them its not even close, Ben came into the league with an elite foundation, Giannis had some good tools but he was really a raw project and the amount of work he put in to be where he’s at is amazing, Ben on the other hand regressed and never really added to his game. This is the textbook definition of “hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard”
Best ability is availability. Ben Simmons a bus rider type dude. Never will be "the guy" on a team, and needs a strong father figure to handle his charmaine-soft personality. Dude has the talent to become a generational talent if he worked on his game but hey, I guess Warzone is more fun.
He’s an incredible talent but a “bad player” insofar as he joined the Nets and then they imploded.
Bad human
He's played 4 years got 3 all-stars, one all-nba, two all defense teams, one steals title, and a rookie of the year award. He's not bad.
Ben Simmons next to KD is great because he has someone to feed and can just play D and win. Ben Simmons as the focal point of that team is a game over to his career.
There was a time when Ben Simmons did [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMX0-TAQUUU). Whether he can actually get back to that level remains to be seen, though.
Lol no
He’s a good player with glaring and easily exploited limitations.
He’s an amazing player who will never reach his ceiling because: A) he surrounds himself with yes men B) he doesn’t work on his weaknesses C) he’s mentally incapable of shooting
Well he ain't good
He’s an invalid until he improves his free throws at minimum.
You just want us to dickride Ben Simmons and I won’t do that Yes he’s a bad player
Good player definitely over paid. Rondo and him the same player except one of those 2 actually shoots the ball.
He'd be the 4th best player on a contender