As the NBA season rapidly approaches, it could be a make or break year for Australia’s-own Ben Simmons, with internal turmoil and an uncertain future clouding the Brooklyn Nets off-season.
With Kyrie Irving reportedly being shopped around by the Nets and Kevin Durant’s well-documented demands to be traded, there are a number of external factors that could directly or indirectly affect Simmons’ chance at a positive comeback season.
Ben Simmons’ career has been on the decline since the Sixers bowed out of the 2021 NBA playoffs to the Hawks, with the 26-year-old copping the majority of the blame.
Whether it was not showing up to training, not talking to anyone in the Sixers organisation or taking an extended mental health break, Simmons couldn’t catch a break in the media and became one of the easy targets for the global audience.
After finally reaching an agreement with the Sixers over the $USD20 million dollars owed to him, it’s time for Simmons to put the past behind and fully focus on a new chapter in his career in Brooklyn.
Simmons’ health has become a worry in recent time, as it sidelined him for the entirety of last season, but his ability to stay on the court may not be the only issue that will affect his 2022/23 season with the Nets. Here are the four possible outcomes that could dictate how Simmons’ season plays out.
Kevin Durant Gets Traded, Kyrie Irving and Simmons stay
It was the report that shook the NBA world, when Durant requested a trade from the Nets and sent the internet into a frenzy.
Although no team has matched the Nets’ reported asking price for the superstar, it seems inevitable that Durant will not suit up for Brooklyn on opening night.
The first issue with a potential Durant trade is the NBA’s ruling on a team not being able to acquire more than one player on designated rookie-max extension – with Simmons already being the Nets one designated player on that deal
With players such as Bam Adebayo, Jamal Murray, Andrew Wiggins and Michael Porter Jr. being heavily linked to a trade involving Durant, this would mean Simmons would have to be moved just five months after being shipped from Philadelphia.
This has been a sticking point in many potential trades, with not many teams being able to offer a package that interests the Nets without throwing in a player on the rookie-max extension, or finding a new home for Simmons that satisfies Brooklyn’s asking price.
However, if the Nets were to ship off KD without bringing another player on a rookie-max deal back, this would open up the opportunity for Simmons to become a crucial piece of the Nets offence and defence.
Simmons was the de facto point-guard in Philadelphia and showed flashes of brilliance with a perimeter-centric offence around him, allowing him to freely roam in the paint whilst getting his teammates open on the three-point line. But there was some more glaring struggles with Simmons’ running the point, mainly being that defences would crowd the paint and dare him to shoot, causing all sorts of problems for their offensive rhythm.
Although Kyrie Irving will likely control the ball, Simmons will be best suited as a secondary ball-handler so he can put more effort into his elite defensive efforts and working his way into the paint.
A Kyrie and Simmons partnership, alongside the return the Nets get from a KD trade could be the best thing for a bounceback year for the Aussie.
With Durant out the door, so would a lot of the international media coverage that follows the two-time finals MVP and we’ve seen in the past how well Simmons can play away from the bright lights of the media.
Simmons becomes the centrepiece as Irving and Durant get traded
Now let’s get to what seems like the most likely scenario to play out over the coming months, both of the Nets stars get traded and force Brooklyn to retool around what will be their new franchise centrepiece, Ben Simmons.
Kyrie Irving will likely fetch a return of no players and only future draft picks, mainly due to his expiring deal and history of quitting on teams when the going gets tough.
With the potential mega return that Durant could fetch, Simmons may have another exciting young core to surround himself with, much like we saw in the early years of the Sixers with Joel Embiid and Markelle Fultz.
Now at age 26, Simmons would be set to become a leader amongst what arguably could be one of the brightest young rosters in the NBA and could thrive under the new environment.
The only thing that could hold Simmons back from growing with a new set of players would be his own mindset, as he too has a history of bailing on his teams at a club level and internationally.
Simmons pulled out of the 2019 World Cup campaign with the Boomers, after previously committing to the tournament, stating he wanted to spend the off-season training with his Sixers’ teammates.
He once again pulled out of an international tournament, recalling himself from the Boomers squad just weeks out from the 2020 Olympics, again stating he was going to work on his game in the off-season, only for him to be spotted on a European holiday for the majority of that time.
Simmons’ mentality and leadership has been questioned a lot in recent years and has to be a source of concern for both Nets’ fans and officials.
Whether Simmons would want to hang around with a team that would be fighting for the final spot in the playoffs is yet to be seen, but if he does he could re-discover his form that saw him selected to All-Star games and earned him All-NBA selections.
Simmons is traded
Although this feels like Brooklyn’s least favourable option, it is certainly likely if Durant was to be traded to a team that he wants to be at.
With the aforementioned rookie extension rule and Durant’s preferred destination reportedly being one of Miami, Phoenix or Boston, it seems very likely that if he was to get his way that the Nets would have to find a third team for Simmons to make way for a player with the rookie-max extension.
Simmons first season in Brooklyn was a disappointing one for both team and player, as the Nets bowed out of the playoffs courtesy of a 4-0 sweep from the Celtics.
After supposedly recovering from a back injury, Simmons was cleared to return to action in game four of the series, but once the Nets went down 3-0 in game three he was suddenly unavailable for a crucial elimination game.
This enraged the Nets fanbase as it looked like he didn’t want his return to basketball to result in what would almost certainly be a loss in the most embarrassing fashion, a series sweep.
The questions were being raised around Simmon’s character and willingness to win at all costs, causing his image to take an even harder fall.
If Simmons was to be moved to a smaller market, it may well be the best move for his career and will give him a chance to improve his reputation around the basketball world.
Although it is unclear what teams, if any, are interested in acquiring him in a trade, there’s no doubt that an engaged and healthy version of Simmons can help contribute to winning on any franchise in the NBA.
Sean Marks and Steve Nash are fired, ‘the big three’ retool for a title tilt
In what would be arguably the most shocking of the four scenarios, this could be on the cards if Nets owner Joe Tsai is willingly to meet the demands of Durant in order to keep him.
Durant stated in a recent meeting with the Nets’ owner that he could stay in Brooklyn if both General Manager Sean Marks and Head Coach Steve Nash were fired – which confused many considering Durant hand-picked Nash to coach the Nets.
Marks, who mastermind the Nets’ rebuild, has made some questionable decisions under the influence of his two star players, including trading Jarrett Allen in favour of keeping DeAndre Jordan and giving all the teams’ first-round picks for Harden.
An argument could be made that Marks wouldn’t have made those moves unless Durant or Kyrie asked for it, but regardless it’s clear to see how much influence the duo has over the running of the franchise.
If this scenario is to play out, it would arguably be a worst case scenario for Simmons’ revival season in 2022/23.
Firstly, Simmons would have little to no ball in his hand unless he reduced his minutes and played with the second unit. We’ve seen at the Sixers he tends to struggle without the ball in hand due to his limited shooting abilities, so this seems unlikely.
Secondly, Simmons would have arguably the most media attention he’s ever had on him and that has proven to be a negative when looking back at his stint in Philadelphia.
Lastly, Durant and Irving are ticking time bombs on what is now an implosion waiting to happen, the pair have caused internal conflicts at every team they’ve been at and we’re already seeing the early signs of a nasty divorce.
Ultimately, it is up to Simmons if he wants to work on improving his game to an elite level, whether these external and internal circumstances will affect him is one of the biggest unanswered questions going into what could be the most important year of his career.