Remember when Philly fans were desperate to witness Ben Simmons drain a triple? The former number-one overall pick didn’t make a single three up until his third season in the league. In fact, Simmons was 1-18 from beyond the arc after he knocked down his career’s first-ever triple. Nevertheless, what’s interesting about this particular three-pointer is Ben Simmons’ offseason workout video. Back in 2019, an open run video, featuring NBA players, including Simmons, Taj Gibson, Tony Snell, and others shocked fans around the league.

Simmons was finally taking long-distance shots, and with surprising efficiency, something no one had seen from him as a Sixer. He was dominating an open run in front of Rich Paul. However, after the 2021 playoffs—when Simmons notoriously passed up a wide-open dunk in a crucial moment—he requested a trade. Though he eventually joined the Nets after recovering from a back injury, his offseason workout videos continued to stir excitement among fans, raising expectations and putting immense pressure on him to deliver a standout season.

However, the 6’10” point guard could not live up to the hype. Just recently, yet another one of Simmons’ workout videos was released. Ryen Russillo, a former employee of ESPN gave insights on Ben’s offseason hype. “If I’m Ben Simmons, like what I would do now be like, ‘Hey maybe we stop posting videos that I’m back and look out flame emojis. Maybe I put in the work and hopefully everything is aligned and the health feels good I just get back out there and play because I’m still young enough and talented enough that you think he has some kind of role in this league’. That to me would signify growth, that would be real growth, instead of, ‘Yeah I barely play and kind of disappointment and there’s massive flaws in my game’.”, Russillo said.

For the most part, Russillo is not wrong. Simmons has only played a little over a hundred games in the last four years. Ben has one year left on his contract before he becomes a free agent next summer. If anything, he’ll have to prove his talents this fall if he is expecting a significant salary once his 5-year deal ends. One of the most well-known trainers in the game, Chris Brickley had high praises for Simmons. According to Brickley, Simmons is better than his All-Star version at this point and is preparing for a breakout season.

Well, the Nets recently lost their primary scorer, Mikal Bridges to the Knicks. They will be looking forward to Ben Simmons stepping up this upcoming season. Moreover, there is a lot on the line for Simmons as well.

Ben Simmons won’t be getting a 9-figure contract anytime soon

The guard signed a five-year $177 million contract with the Sixers back in 2019. For the most part, his value at the time was at its peak. But considering his recent years, Simmons can expect to land an 8-figure deal. He’s averaged 6.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 6 assists as a Net so far. Not only that but he’s only played a total of 57 games in the last two years. This upcoming season will dictate Simmons’ future in the league after he grabs a paycheck of $40.3 million this year.

If the fans are to buy Brickley’s words, then yes, Simmons is on track to have a defining season of his career. Besides, he only needs to make sure that he proves himself to the rest of the league. But why is that? Well, in order to land a favorable deal, Simmons will have to put on a show like he once did in Philly. High-scoring games along with excellent contributions on both ends of the floor. That’s how Simmons rose to fame years ago.

It will be interesting to see whether Simmons manages to amaze Nets’ fans this fall, as the regular season nears its opening night. What are your thoughts on Ben Simmons? Do you think he can prove everyone wrong? Let us know in the comments.