Could Ben Simmons fit on the Atlanta Hawks?

In Simmons's time with the Clippers, he played in 18 games in more of a defensive-based role for them, averaging 2.9 PPG, 3.8 RPG, and 3.1 APG on 43% shooting from the field and 85% shooting from the free-throw line. The problem with this type of role that Simmons has been playing over the last few seasons is that, when it comes to being a reliable player for his team, he can only be helpful in certain moments. You risk him becoming a liability for the team. In the playoffs this season, Simmons averaged 8.4 MPG and didn't average one point in that time frame, but we must look at what series started to expose him in that manner.

During the 2021 NBA Playoffs, Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers came in as the number one seed with expectations of finally making it to the NBA Finals during the "Trust The Process" era. However, the biggest issue with this era was injuries and a lack of development for Simmons, who struggled with shooting jumpshots and making free throws. In the first two rounds of the 2021 playoffs, Simmons and the Sixers would take on the Washington Wizards and Atlanta Hawks, where he saw both teams intentionally foul him to make him shoot free throws, and sag off him to force him to shoot, which made him look for someone else to shoot or drive to the rim.

In the Atlanta series, Simmons became unplayable at times, which led to the Hawks making two different comebacks that series. Specifically, Game 4 and Game 5, where the Hawks were able to take advantage of Simmons' poor free-throw shooting and make Head Coach Doc Rivers leave Simmons on the bench to keep the Hawks from fouling him, but as a result, the Sixers' defense suffered. This led to a back-and-forth Game 7 in Philadelphia, where late in the game, Trae Young forced Simmons to pass the ball on an easy layup opportunity in fear of being fouled. This ultimately ended Simmons' time in Philly and led to him joining the Brooklyn Nets in a trade that sent James Harden to Philadelphia.

In his time with the Nets, it was underwhelming to say the least, as Simmons found himself constantly dealing with injuries, and when playing, he refused to shoot the basketball. One of the standout moments in his time with Brooklyn was when All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving passed Simmons the basketball on a fast break, and instead of taking the layup, he passed it out to Kevin Durant. This led Irving to yell at Simmons, saying, "SHOOT IT, BEN," as a result of Simmons being hesitant to shoot the ball.

Simmons was traded to Brooklyn in hopes that he could play a role as a playmaker and defender with a team like he did in Philly, with the offensive parts set up around him to succeed. This will segue into the next point of how he fits in Atlanta, but his time in Brooklyn is not well remembered, and led to him playing in just 90 games in three seasons. In Brooklyn, Simmons averaged 6.5 PPG, 6.3 APG, and 6.2 RPG on 56% shooting from the field and 50 % shooting from the free-throw line, and ended with Simmons reaching a buyout with the Nets.

What would his role be?

As for Simmons' fit in Atlanta, this would be a 50/50 move with it having the chance of going good or going bad, as we've seen in the last two stops. Where things could go well for Simmons is that his role would be small, and he would have a high amount of offensive firepower around him (similar to Brooklyn) to make things easier for him to succeed and be comfortable enough to play make and defend at a high level. On defense, Simmons could play well enough for the Hawks, even though his impact has slipped a bit since he left Philly; he still has the speed and length to make opposing teams uncomfortable, along with teammates with similar traits.

Either way, this is a low-risk, high-reward situation as the Hawks could strike gold or, as we've seen in other stops, Simmons could not pan out, but it wouldn't cost as much as it would have been in years past, as the Hawks could've reportedly gotten Simmons in 2022 but passed.

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