At the beginning of the 2022-23 NBA season, the Brooklyn Nets looked like the strongest contenders. They sat comfortably as the second seed in the East. Now, Ben Simmons is the only piece that’s left of the once deemed super team and is struggling. Warriors veteran Draymond Green recently chimed in to have his say about the recent struggles of the 6’10 guard.
Ben Simmons has not lived up to the Nets’ expectation since his arrival. Draymond Green, also opening up about his own struggles, shared his opinion on the 3 time All Star. In a conversation with Paul George on his podcast, “Podcast P with Paul George”, Draymond mentioned the effects of confidence on players.
Ben Simmons was left stranded in Brooklyn
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Ben Simmons was an integral part of the Nets’ super team with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. The team boasted of great depth and balance with Simmons, Durant and Irving at the helm. However, by February of 2023, Simmons was the only piece of the super team left in Brooklyn.
Kyrie Irving jumped ship to join the Dallas Mavericks whereas Durant joined the Phoenix Suns, all in quick succession. This pushed the Nets franchise into a rebuild with the new pieces that they had acquired. Ben Simmons having a poor season already was left stranded in the rebuild.
Simmons could not get going throughout the season averaging 6.9 PPG, 6.1 APG and 6.3 RPG in the regular season. After missing an entire season due to mental health issues and injury, Simmons failed to make an impactful comeback. The 3 time All Star was a dominant asset for the Philadelphia 76ers but could not carry that form with him to Brooklyn. This was something that Draymond Green wanted to shed light on.
Draymond spoke about loss of confidence
In the podcast with Paul George, Draymond Green highlighted the effects of loss of confidence on players. “You’ve seen people lose confidence in their game…like Ben Simmons,” said Green.
Green opined that Simmons is still the same player that dominated in Philadelphia. However, he stated that the only difference since then has been Simmons’ confidence.
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"You've seen people lose confidence in their game… Like Ben Simmons… He's still the same Ben Simmons we watch dominate in Philly. The only difference… is confidence… I know how it feels to lose confidence."
—Draymond Green
(via @PodcastPShow)pic.twitter.com/iekRYnoBa7
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) July 3, 2023
Green stated that he never lost confidence in his game but he feels bad for the people that do. “I know how it feels to lose confidence,” said Draymond, reflecting on his own struggles. “You’re still the same player…and yet you don’t feel like you can do that no more because your confidence is gone.”
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Was Draymond Green right in his statements? Will Ben Simmons make a comeback next season? All these questions are making the upcoming season only intriguing.