Brooklyn Nets star Ben Simmons has not featured a lot in the past few seasons. After missing out on the whole of the 2021-22 season, he only played 42 games last season. Also, he was nowhere near his usual self from his Philadelphia 76ers days. Because of his unavailability and poor form, he was criticized a lot. Notably, NBA legends like Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley scrutinized him on multiple occasions. However, Simmons has received a show of support from two other former NBA stars recently.
Last season, many believed the Nets would trade Simmons. However, it looks like they are sticking with him after trading Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. But there are still doubts whether the 2018 Rookie of the Year can perform at a high level consistently. Amidst this, Simmons recently revealed his transformation via social media.
Former star defends Ben Simmons
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Ben Simmons has been struggling with his back injury and went through surgery. However, it was unknown how well Simmons has been recovering after the surgery and there were concerns about his rehab. The 6’11” star recently put an end to all the speculation about his rehab when he shared images of him working out on Instagram. From the looks of it, it is clear Simmons has recovered from his surgery and he has progressed to on-court drills with basketball. Furthermore, the three-time NBA All-Star also looked very fit.
I tried to be nice to Ben Simmons, but I’m done with his sorry ass pic.twitter.com/fymwOfORxE
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) May 16, 2023
Understandably, the Australian was a huge talking point after he shared pictures of him working out. Former NBA star Gilbert Arenas was asked about Stephen A. Smith’s comment about Simmons during a recent appearance on VladTV. The host asked Arenas’ take on Smith calling Simmons “sorry trifling” after the star’s social media activity when the 76ers were eliminated in the playoffs. But Arenas was having none of it.
The three-time NBA All-Star showed support for Simmons saying the point guard did not even make any comment. He added that if he is to blame someone, he would blame the most talented and naturally gifted star on the team: Joel Embiid.
He said, “Bro you are so gifted. If you put in hours and hours and hours on your craft, you will be unstoppable to the point where Ben Simmons is just. You’re supposed to be carrying this team with your dominance. But you’re not and we’re blaming everyone else.”
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Interestingly, Arenas was not the only former star to show support for Simmons recently.
Kevin Garnett wants Simmons to come back
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Boston Celtics legend Kevin Garnett also backed Ben Simmons recently. The Big Ticket stated the 2020 NBA Steals Leader has a lot more to give to the league. He also said he wants to see the Nets star work hard in the summer and come back stronger.
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