Former NBA star addresses Ben Simmons' unprecedented 'fall from grace'
Since his final All-Star campaign with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2020-21, Ben Simmons has failed to replicate his production. The Brooklyn Nets star's impact has been considerably lower than what we saw during his first few years in the NBA. Simmons was once viewed as a future face of the NBA, but now the 27-year-old is struggling to remain relevant.
On Monday, Chandler Parsons addressed Simmons' drop-off during an episode of FanDuel TV's "Run It Back." Parsons had recently shared his opinion that Simmons would never be an All-Star again. He doubled down on that opinion while also adding some further context.
"I don't know about a fall from grace like this," Parsons said. "You had a guy where not much changed. It's not like he had a crazy knee injury or leg injury. He's still 6-foot-10, very physical, can get the ball on the break, and still has good vision. No, in that aspect, I haven't seen it. He hasn't torn his Achilles. He hasn't had one of these traumatic injuries that has set him so far back...He went through a whole bunch of mental struggles, that's part of it...He's not gonna be an All-Star anymore. That's not a dis. He can still be a contributor."
Over his first six games of the new season, Simmons is averaging 6.5 points, 10.8 rebounds and 6.7 assists. There is significant room for him to improve on the offensive end. With his size and physicality, there's no reason why he shouldn't be scoring 10-15 points per night. There's a lack of aggression in his game. Yet, at his best, Simmons is one of the most aggressive rim threats in the league.
Parsons' opinion is fair. This current version of Simmons isn't an All-Star. He's a valuable starter for most teams in the league. Yet, if he can figure things out and return to being a nightly triple-double threat, he will quickly remind everyone what he's capable of. Simmons is still the player who terrorized teams as an elite defender and slasher. He just needs to find his confidence and improve his rhythm.
We're six games into the new season. It's too early to judge Simmons' production. Other stars in the league have endured slow starts, too. There is still an All-Star and All-NBA talent inside of Simmons. The million-dollar question is how to draw it back out. Perhaps someone will know the answer, and there will be an amazing comeback story to talk about in the years to come.
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