The current NBA season has been very tough for Ben Simmons, who has failed to rediscover himself at the Brooklyn Nets. He has produced his career worst performance in the Nets jersey before he was being shut down for the rest of the season, confirmed by their head coach Jacque Vaughn.
Recently former Celtics superstar Kevin Garnett shared his concerns over Ben Simmons and advised him to try out things differently and rediscover his love for the sport. He feels that there are players who want to be the part of the NBA desperately but they aren’t getting that opportunity. However their love for the game is much more than that of Simmons. So it agitates Garnett a lot.
“I want you go back and find your roots,” Garnett said. “Go back and find why you love playing the game, man. Straight up. You got a lot to give to the game, bro.”
“There’s guys like Melo (Carmelo Anthony), [DeMarcus] Cousins at home. Dwight Howard. There’s n****s at home that could be in the league, in the position, bro. If your heart ain’t in it, it is what it is,” he added.
Garnett wants Simmons to believe that he has got that fighting spirit in him. He wants Simmons to show the world that he is still a very good basketball player and he can excel on this field and be consistently at an All-Star level.
He still feels that the Australian playmaker may have another major run in him in the league. He shares his agony of a player getting shut down for the remainder of the season.
“I hate to say that. I think he got another run in him, but it’s going to be Ben Simmons, bro. … He got a whole-nother f*****g level, bro. It hurts me to see him shut down. But he gotta come back and give us something. I need to see summer workouts, all that s**t. … That’s what the NBA is,” Garnett highlighted.
Ever since he left Philadelphia &6ers he has never played like an All-star. He left the franchis eon trade deadline in February. He did not play in the after getting traded and later made his debut for the Brooklyn Nets but never really managed to replicat his All-star level form.
The three-time All-Star averaged 6.9 points, 6.3 rebounds and 6.1 assists this season. On top of that, he mostly remains unavailable due to injuries and has only played 42 games. Recently the Nets announced that they have decided to shutt him down for the rest of the season due to and nerve impingement.
The Nets are in sixth position in the Eastern Conference with a record of 43-35. They will next play the Minnesota Timberwolves.