It’s been a while since we heard Ben Simmonsbut the three-time All-Star chatted with JJ Redick for more than an hour, before the 2022-2023 season of the NBA.
Simmons discussed many topics during his time on “The Old Man and the Three”. The conversation began with Simmons and Redick reminiscing about their time together on the Philadelphia 76ers and progressed to discussing the criticism of the Australian shotare last injurywhat if – the layup he didn’t try against the Atlanta Hawks.
You can watch the full 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 the JJ Redick podcast
1. Simmons feels his reading of 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 like, you know, bad things about a player, but when you really look at the number of points I generate in different ways, it’s a lot of points. We did amazing things in Philadelphia, but I think that gets overlooked. It’s still good.”
What you have to know: Simmons dished out a total of 2,127 assists between the 2017-2018 and 2020-2021 seasons. The only players with the most 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 attacking mentality
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“I do not care”Simmons responded when asked if he would rather score points or give 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’s just scoring. I’m also a defender. Yeah I defend someone who just wants to score, it’s easier for me to focus on that than on LeBron, who makes everyone better. So scoring or giving an assist is the same for me. I’m a winner, I want to win. That always is my objetive”.
3. Simmons named the most difficult 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 because he’s making someone else better. Even Trae Young, the last time we played them. There were many fouls that showed that you couldn’t be too physical. I am a 2.10 meter player who watches someone who weighs 90 kilos or whatever.
“It’s different in every way. Some of the guys are incredibly talented and then you have certain referees who give certain players some fouls. It’s basketball.”
What you have to know: Simmons was twice named to the All-Defensive Quintet and finished second in voting for the 2020-2021 Defensive Player of the Year. He knows a thing or two about defense.
4. Simmons admitted that all the talk about his shot frustrated him
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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.’ I do other things too. I’m defending the best players. I think people respect it enough, like what I’m bringing to the court, because there’s a lot of things I’m bringing.”
“I just want to win, so people also don’t understand that my goal is purely to win. I’m not trying to have as many points, whatever it is, my goal is to win, so I’m trying to do my best to make the plays. correct and the correct reads to help my team win.
“But that’s definitely frustrating, and it’s also one of my weak points, so am I going to get mad at people for saying I’m not good at something? Okay, yeah, great, I’m going to practice and get better. That’s what it is”.
“It’s a part of the game. If I was a guy that sucked and people didn’t care, 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, which I I love it because I’d rather be who I am than not be on the pitch.
5. Simmons also admitted that the criticism about his shot affected him a lot
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“Of course. I didn’t realize it 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 peace and a game where I’m just like, ‘Fuck it, it’s basketball, I’m great at the game and I have to go out there and show people what I can do and my talent.'”
“So I did it for a while, it was kind of fucked up, but it is what it is. I feel like all of this stuff that’s happened to me over the last couple of years has helped me grow and mature in a way that I don’t think I would have if I wouldn’t have had those experiences.”
What you have to know: Much has been made about Ben Simmons’ shot. He’s a dominant scorer in the paint, but he hasn’t shown noticeable progress on the floor as a shooter since he came to the NBA.
6. Simmons isn’t worried about his return 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 operation, I knew what it was going to take to get back to where I was. to be, and I’ve been focused. It’s been tough; obviously no rehab is easy, it’s hard work, and that’s what it’s all about for me. That’s my mini-season. Every time I’ve had a situation where I’ve I’ve been injured or whatever, that’s my time to lock in and focus and get to where I need to be.”
What you have to know: Simmons missed his entire rookie season with a broken foot 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’ve got [Nicolas] Claxton who moves insanely well Kev Patty Ky Joe we just got Royce [O’Neale], another great type of 3&D. I’m forgetting more people, but this team right now adapts very well to what I do and what I bring 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] y Ersan [Ilyasova].
“It’s exciting knowing 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 worked out, and then I ran up the stairs and my whole right side fell off. As soon as I was done going up the stairs, I lay down and couldn’t move.”
“In Milwaukee the same thing happened to me, I went up, I sprained and as soon as it happened I knew I couldn’t even move. The pain shot up all over my leg. It hurt a lot the whole game… I vomited because it hurt a lot. 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 was doing was fucking painful.
“But yeah, I ran up the stairs and my whole right side fell off.”
What you have to know: Simmons underwent back surgery near the end of the 2021-2022 season to address a herniated disc. In the initial briefing on him, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski wrote that Simmons was expected to be fully recovered “well before” training camp.
9. Simmons confessed about his mental health problems
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“I think it was, like, I’m already dealing with a lot mentally in life like a lot of people do, but it got to a point where after that series [Hawks], I wasn’t getting support from the people that I’m supposed to be giving it to, so it had an effect on me. Then, mentally, he killed me. I had no energy at all, I was in a dark place.”
“The first thing for me was really identifying that I have to do things right. It’s not a physical thing, it’s mental. I think the first thing I did was recognize that this was a big step for me. I need to address this, I need help in these areas. Being able to do that, it was the beginning of getting to where I am now. I’m in a good place and I’m comfortable talking about it.”
“Those were some dark days for me and mostly, fuck, it was all public. That’s the craziest part.”
“Everyone goes through different struggles, some bigger than others, but everyone has their own battles, and I think that was hard on me, just knowing that I didn’t really have that support from my teammates or whatever. at that moment”.
What you have 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 spoke about the series against the Hawks
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“I think it’s been me and over time I’ve 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 that way. Once I was able to address that , it was like, ‘I want to get well, I want to get to a good place mentally to be able to do my job and learn to deal with the things that I’m dealing with in the right ways and not go in a downward spiral.’ Because there are a lot of people who goes through it and never addresses it.
What you have to know: Simmons averaged 6.3 points, 9 assists and 7 rebounds in the last three games of Philadelphia’s second-round series against the Atlanta Hawks in the 2021 Playoffs.
11. Simmons talked about the layup he passed against the Hawks
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“At the time I turned, I was assuming Trae was going to come faster, so I was thinking he was going to come full blast. I see Matisse [Thybulle]you know that Matisse is athletic and can get up, so I think about a quick pass and he’s going to shoot, not knowing how much space there was.
“It happened so fast you can only take one reading. In the playoffs, you have to make the right decisions most of the time.”
“At the time, bro, it happened and I was like, ‘Okay, now we have to go make another play.’ That’s how I’m thinking and I didn’t realize how everyone was posting it like it was so important.”
“When I look at it now, I’m like, ‘I should have finished that shit,'” Simmons continued. “But it didn’t happen, and it was fine with me, I can live with that, I can live with everyone trying to kill me for a play. It’s like everyone wants to watch the movie with me. The whole stadium. I can dissect everything if you want.” But that’s not realistic.”
What you have to know: It has to be the most talked about untried layup in NBA history.
The opinions expressed herein do not necessarily represent the NBA or its organizations.
