“He’s Embraced Who He Is”: ex-NBA Champ Backs Ben Simmons to Shut Down the Narrative this Season

Brooklyn Nets star Ben Simmons hasn’t had a noteworthy season since his trade in 2022. The Australian baller is yet to find his feet in the side. On top of it, he constantly faced media bashing and trolls from fans over his gameplay. However, after his two promising performances in the preseason games, he has instilled hopes. At least in one person, a former NBA Champion. A 48-year-old ex-NBA Champ recently expressed his expectations on Simmons and rooted for his comeback in the upcoming season.

In fact, even in paper, Simmons had had a poor 2022-23 season. He played 42 games with an all-time low average of 6.9 points in his 5-season-long career. Apart from that, several NBA pundits targeted him for his poor performance. To be more precise, in a podcast, Charles Barkley said that he was scared to shoot the ball. The narrative even took to the online world, where fans trolled him repeatedly.

Ex-NBA Champion roots for Ben Simmons

The continued media bashing and online trolls almost put the end of the tunnel in a far off place for the fans. Some even said that it could be the end of Ben Simmons. However, a former NBA Champion, Antonio Daniels, who won a ring with the San Antonio Spurs in 1999, rooted for the Australian star. It came in after two preseason games of Brooklyn Nets. Simmons scored 10 points on those occasions, more than that, he impressed the fans online with few memorable steals and dunks.

In response to that, Daniels recently backed the 27-year-old point guard in a recent podcast. Featuring on SiriusXM NBA Radio, he said, “I really want to see him succeed because so many different media members and… sports fans write this young man off.” Moreover, he spoke his preseason performance.

He added, “What I have seen from Ben Simmons thus far in this preseason… he looks healthy, he is shooting a lot of jump shots… it’s almost like he is embraced who he is.”

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Well Simmons may have decided to turn things around for him in the upcoming season, but did he lock in during the off season? Let find out.

Ben Simmons locks in during off season

Ben Simmons had been scripting his comeback during the off season. The star even pulled out of the FIBA WC and focused entirely on the 2023-24 season. Moreover, during an interview in a practice facility, he said, “Get ready for a great year, I think it’s gonna be exciting, we’re gonna have a lot of fun and give back to Brooklyn basketball.” 

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Now, the fans who what to expect from the 27-year-old in the upcoming season. Will he live upto the expectations? Let us know in the comments.