It’s been a while since we heard that Ben Simmonsbut the three-time All-Star spoke with him JJ Redick for more than an hour, ahead of his 2022-2023 season NBA.
Simmons discussed many issues during his tenure “The Old Man and the Three”. The conversation began with Simmons and Redick reminiscing about their time together on the Philadelphia 76ers and moved on to discussing the review of the Australian shotof last injuryand if – the layup he didn’t attempt against the Atlanta Hawks.
You can watch the entire interview below, but if you’re looking for a condensed version, here are 11 things Simmons said that stood out.
The most interesting things Ben Simmons said on JJ Redick’s podcast
1. Simmons thinks reading the game is underrated
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“Of course, I think so. I don’t know, it’s like, it’s easy to say bad things about a player, but when you really look at the number of points that I produce in different ways, it’s a lot of points. We did amazing things in Philadelphia, but I think that’s overlooked. It’s still good.”
What you need to know: Simmons totaled 2,127 assists between the 2017-2018 and 2020-2021 seasons. The only players with more assists in that stretch were Nikola Jokic (2,149), James Harden (2,203), LeBron James (2,235) and Russell Westbrook (2,768).
2. Simmons talked about his aggressive mindset
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“I do not care”Simmons said when asked if he’d rather score points or dish out an assist. “I think it’s the same thing. But it also depends on how we get to the basket. I want to get easy scores, and it’s also a team game. It’s easier to watch a guy who just scores. I’m also a defender. Yeah, I defend somebody who just wants to score, it’s easier for me to focus on that than LeBron, who makes everybody better. So scoring or assisting is the same for me. I’m a winner, I want to win That’s always the goal my”.
3. Simmons named the toughest players to defend in the NBA
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“There are a lot of guys who are tough in their own way, but Giannis [Antetokounmpo]. What are we talking about? Fast breaks, 10 steps, spikes over the rim, it’s tough. LeBron makes his teammates better, so I can’t always worry about him making someone else better. Even Trae Young, the last time we played them. There were a lot of fouls that showed you couldn’t be too physical. I’m a 2.10m player watching someone who weighs 90kg or whatever.
“It’s different in every way. Some of the guys are incredibly talented, and then you have some referees that give some players some fouls. That’s basketball.”
What you need to know: Simmons was named to the All-Defensive Quintet twice and finished second in the 2020-2021 Defensive Player of the Year voting. He knows a thing or two about defense.
4. Simmons admitted that all the talk about his shooting got him down
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“I think for a while it was so repetitive, you hear it all the time from everybody. You’re like, ‘leave me alone.’ things I bring.”
“I just want to win, so people also don’t understand that my goal is purely to win. I’m not trying to get as many points, whatever it is, my goal is to win, so I try to do my best to make the games , right and the right reads to help my team win.
“But that’s definitely frustrating, and it’s also one of my weaknesses, so I’m going to get mad at people who say I’m not good at something? Okay, yeah, great, I’ll practice and get better. That’s it.”
“It’s a part of the game. If I was a guy who was crap and people didn’t care about me, then people wouldn’t mention my name. For me, I’m proud of who I am because people expect a high level of basketball from me, who love it because I’d rather be who I am than not be on the field.
5. Simmons also admitted that the criticism of his shooting took a toll on him
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“Of course. I didn’t understand that early in my career. They say I can’t, like I shouldn’t. Now I’m confused. They don’t want me to shoot but they want me to shoot? That bothered me a lot, but I’ve found my peace and a game where I say: “Damn it, it’s basketball, I’m great at the game and I’ve got to go out there and show people what I can do and my talent.”
“Well I did for a while, it was kind of fucked up, but it is what it is. I feel like all these things that have happened to me in the last couple of years have helped me grow and mature in a way that I don’t think I would have if I didn’t have those experiences”.
What you need to know: Much has been made of Ben Simmons’ shooting. He’s a dominant scorer in the paint, but hasn’t shown significant improvement on the floor as a shooter since coming to the NBA.
6. Simmons isn’t worried about returning after missing an entire season
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“I’m going to be great. And I’m excited to play with Kev, Ky, Joe Harris, all those guys. We have an amazing team. For me, after the surgery, I knew what it would take to get back to where I was. I’m and I’ve been focused. It’s been tough, obviously no recovery is easy, it’s hard work and that’s what it’s all about for me. This is my mini-season. Every time I’ve had a situation where I’ve been injured or whatever, this is the time me to lock down and focus and get to where I need to be.”
What you need to know: Simmons missed his entire rookie season with a broken leg and then missed the entire 2021-22 season, in part due to injury.
7. Simmons talked about how he fits in with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving
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“I think with the talent that we have and the type of players that we have, we’re going to be able to run the floor with ease. You know, we have [Nicolas] Claxton moving crazy good Kev Patty Ky Joe we just got Royce [O’Neale], another great 3&D guy. I’m forgetting more people, but this team right now is adjusting really well to what I’m doing and what I’m bringing to the game.”.
“I feel like it’s like Philly on steroids in terms of what we had when you (JJ Redick) were there, Marco. [Belinelli] and Ersan [Ilyasova].
“It’s exciting to know that I’m going to play with them and get to know their game. I don’t have to defend Kyrie and Kevin anymore.”
8. Simmons explained how he suffered his back injury
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“I was running up the stairs. At first, my back hurt when I was working out, and then I ran up the stairs and my whole right side went down. Once I was done running up the stairs, I laid down and couldn’t move.”
“In Milwaukee the same thing happened to me, I went up, twisted and as soon as it happened I knew I couldn’t even move. The pain went all over my leg. It hurt so much the whole game… I threw up because it hurt so much. The pain it goes all the way down my leg. I couldn’t sit like that so I couldn’t sit in a car. Everything I did was painful.
“But yeah, I ran up the stairs and my whole right side fell off.”
What you need to know: Simmons underwent back surgery near the end of the 2021-2022 season to address a herniated disc. In his original report, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski wrote that Simmons was expected to be fully recovered “well before” training camp.
9. Simmons confessed to his mental problems
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“I think I already deal with a lot of mental in life like a lot of people, but it got to a point where after that series [Hawks], I wasn’t getting support from the people I was supposed to, so it affected me. Then, mentally, it killed me. I had no energy at all, I was in a dark place.”
“The first thing for me was really recognizing that I have to do things right. It’s not a physical thing, it’s a mental thing. I think the first thing I did was recognize that this was a big step for me. I have to deal with it. I need help in those areas. Being able to do that was the start of me getting to where I am now. I’m in a good place and I feel comfortable talking about it.”
“It’s been a dark few days for me and most of all, damn, it was all public. That’s the craziest part.”
“Everybody goes through different struggles, some bigger than others, but everybody has their own battles and I think it was tough for me, just knowing that I didn’t have that support from my teammates or anything. at that time.”
What you need to know: Simmons cited his mental health as the reason his involvement with the Sixers was limited when he joined the team for the 2021-2022 season.
10. Simmons talked about the series against the Hawks
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“I think it was me, and over time I kind of drifted away and put it aside, not taking care of my mental health. It’s hard to do that when you really don’t know why you feel the way you do. Once I was able to deal with it, it was like, ” I want to get well, I want to get to a good place mentally so I can do my job and learn to deal with the things I’m dealing with in the right ways and not go into a downward spiral.” Because there are many people who go through it and never address it.
What you need to know: Simmons averaged 6.3 points, 9 assists and 7 rebounds in the final three games of Philadelphia’s second-round series against the Atlanta Hawks in the 2021 playoffs.
11. Simmons talked about his layup against the Hawks
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“When I turned around, I assumed that Trae would come faster, so I was thinking that he would come quickly. I see Matisse [Thybulle]you know Matisse is athletic and can get up, so I think of a quick pass and he’ll shoot, not knowing how much space he had.
“It happened so fast that you can only make one read. In the playoffs, you have to make the right decisions most of the time.”
“At that point, bro, it happened and I said, ‘Okay, now we’ve got to go do another project.’ “
“When I look at it now, I’m like, ‘I should have finished this shit.'” Simmons continued. “But it didn’t happen, and it was fine with me, I can live with that, I can live with everybody trying to kill me for one game. It’s like everybody wants to watch the movie with me. The whole stadium. I can dissect everything if you want.” But that’s not realistic.”
What you need to know: Has to be the most talked about layup in NBA history.
The views expressed here do not necessarily represent the NBA or its organizations.
