[Highlight] Ben Simmons steps into the practice facility for the Australian Boomers player-led private mini-camp in Melbourne.
Hoping the best for him honestly. Back injuries are no joke
šÆ they really think Trae Young ended his career lol. This guy didnāt need a jumper to put up 20/6/6 or whatever he was averaging + defend the opponents best player. Amazing talent riddled with injuries
18/8/8 with dpoy level defense. He was actually insane until has back gave out
By 24, his resume was 3 x All Star, 2 x All Defence First Team, 1 x All NBA 3rd Team, ROTY and All Rookie First Team, 2020 NBA Steals leader and U17 World Cup Silver medallist.
He was on a crazy career trajectory until it all went wrong.
I’ve said this before to put things into perspective but before least season, Ben and Jaylen Brown had the same amount of All NBA selections and Brown had one more All Star appearance. Ben hasn’t played any meaningful basketball in 5 years.
Ya pretty wild. He could have been on the track to a hall of fame career if he didn’t have his mental issues/injuries
He was a worse rudy gobert on max money and terrible locker room personality, and being paid and hyped for a potential he didnāt care about
A worse version of a 4 x DPOY and future Hall of Famer? Oh no, he must have been terrible.
That’s also a stupid thing to say given Simmons was an elite playmaker as a 6’10” PG and Gobert can’t even catch a ball half the time.
Both things can be true…Ben Simmons was a generational talent.
A 6’10” PG who was a matchup nightmare and a lockdown defender. But also had injuries and confidence issues.
Ben Simmons strikes me as guy who played basketball because he was good at it, not necessarily because he loved it.
You can love the life money and fame bring you, but also not the work it requires to maintain it.
See:
There’s a lot of arm chair psychologists out there. None of us know whether Ben is or isn’t that type of guy (let alone some of the other folks on the list). Fans make a lot of assumptions, usually crappy ones, based on articles they see on popular media.
The simplest and most supported explanation for Ben is that there was a combination of injuries and he started showing confidence issues through his play. The rest about loving money, fame, or playing basketball for whatever reasons is something supported only be people’s imaginations.
Oh I agree, I’m not in his head so I don’t know, and can’t professionally make judgements on the other players, all I can see is what they what they do on & off the court.
Michael Beasley famously struggled with violating the NBA drug policy, and run ins with law enforcement.
Shawn Kemp also ran into multiple issues with drugs and showing up out of shape.
Derrick Coleman constantly faces criticism for not staying in shape, laziness and just cashing it in some games
Zion has had a history of being out of shape, but when he’s locked in he’s amazing.
Willie Cauley-Stein had physical gifts to be amazing defensive player, but also has had drug issues and lacking the appropriate motor to excel with his gifts.
Glad people are finally understanding this
He may not have wanted to shoot but thatās not what derailed his career. Back injuries have and anyone that has them knows you canāt just put that shit to the side
Thatās not what derailed his career. He literally stopped shooting the basketball.
Yeah these comments are absurd acting like he didnāt have one of the biggest mental collapses weāve ever seen in professional sports let alone basketball. He couldnāt hit a free throw to save his life so he became unplayable in the playoffs. Then he threw a hissy fit because we didnāt continue to coddle him like the child he was. Back injury or not unless he learns how to shoot and gets his mental act together, he is not an asset in the NBA.
If you didnāt really watch the Sixers you wouldnāt know this from the highlights.
In reality the Hawks series was the final stage. He was terrible in the first series against the Wizards too. They broke him mentally when they stated hacking him to send him to the line so he wanted to get out of the game.
He could never handle the pressure of being depended on to win games. He hated that and would hide on offense. He passed the ball because he was scared to get fouled and have to make free throws in that moment.
Agreed. Ben Simmons peaked in his ~2nd/3rd year and by the time we got to the Hawks series in his 4th year, his offensive confidence was so bad that he was actively costing the team games in crunch time.
he was, but he also had no moves offensively besides his handle (not even a layup package really, and he loved taking awkward layups) he needed to stay faster and bouncier than everyone to keep that production up
his back going out cooked him instantly, but he couldnt really adapt to getting any worse from any kind of injury i think. even alt-universe good back ben probably peaks at 23 because he was already dpoy level
I feel like Iām going insane reading these comments. He was absolutely not insane until his back gave out.
Sure, he was a really great player for a few years, But he literally became too scared to take layups. He became afraid to make passes he used to make. He was a slashing Point Guard that was afraid to have the ball. Then he stopped showing up to practice and started locker room drama. He literally just quit. Then he left Philly and was held out with back injuries. We cannot just act like his back injuries are the reason heās out of the league.
He got the yips and never fixed them. He had absolutely no work effort. Then hurt his back. Thatās why he basically retired.
everything you named was after his back injuries came up. he injured his back feb 2020, which was a whole year before the hawks series. If you dont know when his back got injured then surely you shouldnt make that comment.
You cant really claim that a guy was severely affected by injuries when he finished 1st team All-Defense, All-NBA3, and 2nd in DPOY voting. His mental issues were his entire career. The Hawks series is just when it finally broke him.
After that Doc Rivers interview… Mentally, he was broken
He was scared of having the ball the previous year against the Raptors. It was a hot potato that he’d fling to a surprised Jimmy Butler whenever the ball got to him in the 4th
a year 3 player isnt perfect in the playoffs, i think because he came in soo polished people thought he should have been like prime bron in 2019. dude was 4th option on the team man.
Yup. His horrific mentality and mediocre drive/work ethic neutered his career before the back injuries came in for the death blow.
It’s true that without the back injuries, he could still be a solid NBA rotation piece right now instead of washed out of the league… but the days of all-NBA Simmons were already in the rearview bc of his mentality.
The injuries have substantially improved his PR.
He was a constant liability in the playoffs because he was useless when the game slowed down and became about half-court offense
He never averaged 18 points in a season š
Ben Simmons back gave out 3 years after his balls fell off. He was an empty calories player.
He’s a 6-7 point bench scoring defensive player. What ended his starter career (and 14-17 point average) was being able to put an additional center or PF in to guard him because defenses knew he wouldn’t drive or shoot jumpers. For as good a defender he is, he equally destroys a team’s half court offense by giving opponent extra big and making halfcourt congested. Fouling him to send him to FT line was kind of what solidified him as a bench player at best.
He’s an amazing athlete, but hubris was his downfall before his back gave out. If he had someone like Maxey’s mentality… but I’m not sure the amount of speed/acceleration he had wouldn’t continue causing issues with his back at his height and weight (impact on his spine is like 300lbs more than average guard without mentioning mechanics compared to average guard).
With the amount he made, if he invested wisely he could keep on fishing. But who knows how much he spends.
I just wrote a reply to the same comment but then read yours and you worded it so much better than I did
Iām convinced part of his back injuries were caused by the total stress and mental block he had regarding his shooting. Itās been well documented that youāre at a higher risk for that stuff when youāre mentally not in the right place (because it fucks with your recovery, stiffness during contact etc). He clearly wasnāt, also with his siblings accusing each other of sexual violence and shit. Then the Trae Young stuff happened and it became too much for a 6ā10 body moving like that to handle.
He never averaged 20 points š
Spoken like someone who never actually watched him play. Ben is a mental midget who completely collapsed in playoff games because he couldnāt hit a free throw to save his life. Hilarious to see this take that back injuries completely ruined him. Farthest thing from the truth, he ruined himself with his inability to hit a single free throw and his complete absence of mental toughness.
Could be a mental midget, could not be and idc at the end of the day. His injuries derailed his career
No, his mental collapse and inability to shoot a free throw derailed his career. As anyone who watched him in the playoffs can attest to.
Definitely was not Trae but that play in the Eastern Semis (I think?) when he had a wide open lane, was near the bucket and still passed outside instead of just doing a soft layup lives rent free in my head along with most people lol
Itās hard to separate that image from his imminent downfall since it was clearly mental (which is a factor most casual fans donāt appreciate when it comes to athletes returning from injuries - especially from anything prolonged and pervasive like a back injury).
I was at that game actually and was blown away that he dished it
He didn’t want to get fouled and go to the free throw line
And thatās the only thing he could think about for basically the remainder of his NBA career it seemed. He had a massive window to make a layup or dunk and at worst get an And 1 given how much space he had. He never stopped treating the ball like a hot potato after that (when he was able to get on the floor)
Look at how he did in playoffs in general. Teams value your ability to help them win in the post season more than putting up empty stats against bad teams. Have a look at how Boston used to guard him. They made him ineffective just by leaving him open on the 3. Allowed them to double someone else and take away his ability to blow by a defender with speed. He also couldnāt be played late in games because teams could foul him and he couldnāt hit the free throws.
Jokes aside, if his back is really healed he still has a place in the NBA
No he doesn’t lol he’s washed
I would love pre back injury Simmons on my team
The idea of Ben Simmons is much more attractive than the reality.
Because his back is broken. In the fantasy land where his back issues have gone away he’s at worst an elite defender with great vision and handled for his size who wouldnt be paid very much. Almost every team could use that
Spoken like someone who has never had Ben Simmons on their team
Surely you understand that current Ben Simmons would have very different expectations compared to sixers Ben Simmons?
This is your fantasyland that you created for me my friend. Iām just giving you the reality of playing even a healthy Ben Simmons. The amount of money he makes doesnāt negate his glaring flaws. Unless youāre using your fantasyland cap savings to pair him with centers that all have the ability to shoot 3ās, youāre just going to run into the same issues everyone has ever had with him.
I’m not creating anything. You are the one responding to a comment about taking pre-injury Simmons and how he’d still be an NBA contributor assuming his back is healed
Pre-injury Simmons is a positive contributor regardless of how much Philly fans cry about him
Myles Turner is no longer the subject of this quote
Ok but this is post injury Simmons lol
Bro read his full sentences. You’re not even trying to talk about the same thing
But recording 0 jump shots and having a 200MM+ bag is pretty funny
Hey he hit a 3 against the GuangZhou Loonglions to go up 40 something that has to count for something
Nope, never improved, arrogant
He completely lost his Aussie accent lol
It’s understandable, he is been living in the US since he was 16
I feel like losing it is a choice though. Patty Mills was living in the US from his college days in 2007 up until 2025 and he doesnāt have a hint of an accent.
He also has an American father so would have grown up hearing the accent in his formative years as well.
Ben Simmons the pro fisherman?
āWe got weights in fish!ā
Great pull
i dont really see the connection
Lebron…we are good!
Somehow I donāt think that fishing check hits the same..
The 2x Rookie of the Year
Yeah lol it is weird heās trying out for a basketball team. Must be some kind of pr stunt. Could see this being a way for him to capture audiences in other sports and bring them over to fishing
Not a pro fisherman, the pro fisherman.
As an Aussie Iām conflicted. Heās basically given our national team the middle finger until now
Feels like he’s trying to use the Boomers as a platform for himself, his own gain and getting back to the NBA / money - not doing it for love of country and the game, otherwise he’d have actually suited up for us many times before now!
As an aussie I couldnt give less of a fuck.
Nick Kay was out there stinking up the court on our last two tournament squads. Idk why so many Australians on here think weāre good enough to pass over NBA players lol
Theres a reason why Goorjian was fired and his squad selection was one of them. Seeing him select Delly and Ingles (washed) and Nick Kay over Thybulle, Cooks and Goulding was crazy.
Yep never pick anymore NBL guys
While I get your point Ben Simmons isnāt an NBA player
Heās definitely closer than anyone who would be picked over him lol
He is a serviceable bench forward or center. He is 6’10” with a great IQ and playmaking skills. He has back issues and he doesn’t love it like some other guys. But he was at one time a world-class athlete, and he’s now lost a step and lost vertical. But he’s been spending a year rehabbing and doing a sport that doesn’t destroy his bones.
could potentially make it work as a centre
but he does nothing to improve the significant spacing/offensive issues that plague the boomers.
There should be no reason to ever pick NBL players anymore
There are only 8 australian nba players right now mate and one of thems on a 2-way
I saw that you have a couple of WC qualifying matches at the end of August, I wonder if Simmons is gonna play (probably not)
To be honest im shocked he showed up to training, actually expected him to bugger off again lol
I’m not, he never gave a shit about playing for Australia before so I don’t know why we should welcome him back now he’s desperate for any opportunity.
Heās never cared, just say no
I feel like his personality has always been the thing that hinders him the most.
100%. He’ll never play for the boomers again after he gets a contract somewhere.
Heaps of young players focus on developing themselves over national careers. He’s spent most his career saying he wants to play for the national team, and then not being able to cause injuries.
And on top of that, he’s received heaps of blowback in Aus for calling out racism. He could just as much say Aus gave him the middle finger.
Completely forgot about Dante Exum
Still got my timeshares on Exum Island
I have a beachside villa on Exum Island. It’s pretty quiet a lot of the time.
Wasn’t he supposed to be our rival in a 2k game or something? That was the LAST TIME I heard his name and seen his face.
Yeah, before they got into this timeline with fake people being your ārivalā, Dante Exum was supposed to be like the one telling you your shitty and calling you out on social media as you drop 50 point triple doubles
āHeās the biggest thing to come out of Australia sinceā¦ well everā
I honestly don’t remember the 2k thing but I do remember him REALLY wanting to be a Laker pre-draft. He had some degree of hype as a really athletic project, but had no leverage to negotiate that lol
Was supposed to be the next Shaun Livingston.
Please leave S Dot out of any Dante Exum rhetoric or discussions lol
aussie kobe, lakers wanted to draft him
He was really good on the Mavs, but they understandably gave up on waiting for his injuries to be done with.
I hope he continues at FIBA, as his body just hasn’t ever stood up to the length and intensity of an NBA season. Would be awesome to see him in the NBL one day.
Okay Boomers
Ben got the back of a boomer though
Young socialite plays for Boomers.
Hey Ben mate weāre good š
The single most frustrating Sixers player Iāve ever had to watch
The way he gave up defending Kawhi on that game winner is baffling.
I had always thought Embiid got in the way.
Just rewatched it and to me it def looks like Ben slows down bc Embiid is in his way.
I always interpreted it as Embiidās got there and he just stopped. Easy for me to say he should have added extra pressure with the trap from my couch though. lol.
Thats not a trap .. a trap is embid cutting off the baseline embid failed to do it abd kawhiw as able to keep going
Bro, Ben completely gave up on the play. He literally just lets kawhi go and is skipping behind the play.
Go where … towards the second defender … that is 1000% Joel’s fault Joel should have stepped more towards the baseline kawhi would have had to split the middle or pass
Yes. Follow kawhi into the corner and get a hand up. Anything except just give up on the play like he did.
A hand up where behind embid or beside embid where no one is … lol putting a hand up on no one is real effective
Not as ineffective as skipping behind the play and not even attempting at applying any additional pressure at all.
Thatās the kind of crap Iām talking about. He was a good defender. But so many people say stuff like āoh but he does so much other stuff that helps your teamā, you really need to have him on your team to know how frustrating it is. Yes he can pass well, defend well. But the stuff he doesnāt do, you have to adjust to him. Not him to you. His pigheaded style of play doesnāt belong on many teams.
I hear ya. You never had to fear Ben Simmons as an opposing team.
The back injuries have substantially improved his PR. Now that’s all that people focus on – papering over the reality that he was always a severely flawed player due to the holes in playstyle, his horrific mentality, and his mediocre drive/work ethic.
Nailed it. Been saying this for years. Also donāt care if I get downvoted to hell for this Iām absolutely doubting the legitimacy of his back injury to begin with. At least the severity of it. Ben Simmons and his representation never made an excuse they didnāt like.
Tbf, it was an uncalled travel
That Giddey Simmons Dyson spacing
do you really need spacing if the other team can’t even score 70 points
Wish him all the bestĀ
these reporters are using the term star a bit too loosely
I mean how many Australian NBA players have there been? By virtue of that he’s a star
39
Pretty harsh. He WAS an NBA star for a while.
he was all nba
crazy how he has no australian accent
Heās lived in America since he was 16 and his dad is American so itās not that crazy
His dads from New York
The Australian accent is just so funny to me. I could listen to people talk like that all day.
Oh now he wants back on the national team
Tbh, zero interest in him playing for the national team. He showed no interest before, why bother now?
We got Australian Ben before gta 6
If its summer, then it is time for Ben Simmons workout videos in an empty gym.
Ben loves to play when itās contract time. Gotta pay for his fashion week trips somehow. Posting GM thirst traps
You can go onto the Courtside Melbourne instagram page and they posted tape of the camp btw
Its a Jordan Lawley thing
Playing for the Boomers is appropriate for a man with that much back pain.
Even the NBA has their own lolcows. Wishing him nothing but retirement
Rich Paul doing his best to try to get Ben back in the league lol
F@ck that money hungry bum
Like I always said he’s a 7 foot guard and people always going to give him a shot
I like Simmons so I hope this works out for him
This little campaign isnāt going to work. Ā Happy trails to Ben Simmons.
Keeping his phone in his pocket at practice is how I choose to remember him.
all of his Aussie national team teammates hated him btw. I believe the term they used for him was āsepoā? notā¦. great.
Okay, Boomer(s).
Heās back. Outback.
All this increased media attention for Ben lately but no actual footage of him recently playing. All hype.
IKR??? I mean, how hard could that be if thats all you do as a career??? The drama is still there. He will fold again when the pressure builds up.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6iHRtbkKcI
Looking for a check ššš
Reminder that Ben Simmons has never represented Australia in an Olympic or FIBA World Cup tournament.
He could be a solid backup big if he embraces the role
As someone who had been begging for him to join the Boomers since 2016, I can’t help but feel like I don’t want him repping us anymore. Now that he’s grabbing for any lifeline back to the NBA, now he wants to suit up for us? Where was he when he was good?
c’mon man you have time to ask somebody like 2-3 questions as he’s in town for a national team player-led mini-camp and you ask him if he wants to play in the nba which he’s already confirmed?? and then you ask him if he wants to play for the national team? like ????
If there ain’t a shooting montage, this isn’t true
Coach and Basketball Australia should tell him to go back to fishing or pound sand if they had any balls or integrity. Don’t need him. He’s shown zero interest in repping the Boomers for a decade. Won a medal in Tokyo without him. Clearly trying to get back in the news and a NBA contract out of it. Does he not have any of the hundreds of millions of dollars the 76ers paid him left?
What a tool
[deleted]
He’s dodged playing for the boomers for years. Most of the time when non injured. He’s only playing now because he sees it as his opportunity to get another NBA contract and fleece another team.
Is it just me, or does Australian news seem like a mix of US & UK news?
Well an Australian did influence a lot of UK & US news. Rupert Murdoch is an Aussie
No doubt that’s a contributing factor. Also that many influential reporters are indoctrinated by select & familiar entities.
Australian news seems a lot more laid back. I used to watch clips of the morning show hosts on Youtube (guy with brown hair and the blonde woman) and they seemed to be looser than the typical morning show hosts in America
In what way?
General vibes & how they operate.
All very much the same, except each having a different & distinct national identity. With some overlap & variance of course.
Ahh I get ya, I thought you meant the accent or something haha
Hope he can make a comeback. NBA needs all players playing. This is a big year for the league
Glad heās back to playing professional basketball. Hopefully he makes his way back to the NBA too
Putting up shots at Courtside? Nice!
Good luck Ben. If he’s healthy mentally and physically? Go for it.
Is he shooting at all? If not, heās the 13-15th player on the team
On the Boomers? Uh no he’s not
Fuck this guy. He has never wanted to represent Australia until now that he has to for his pathetic career to stay alive.
yeah that what he wants attention then depression and cycle continue. fucking insult to people who suffers for real.
Oh stfu you have no idea how severe his mental health problems may or may not have been. Fucking insult to people who suffer for real.
I canāt take their accents seriously, everything australian always sounds like satire