Ben Simmons has been playing competitive basketball for 382 days now.
382 days since then that to pass, that defeat, i those press conferences.
Now, in a new city, where things are supposed to get better, Simmons looks at a crossroads that could, without being unnecessarily dramatic, decide the rest of his career.
Kevin Durant wants to get out of Brooklyn. Kyrie Irving could also be on the move, and very quickly what was supposed to be a perfect basketball situation for Simmons, presents itself at first as a nightmare, with a silver lining.
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HOW DID WE GET HERE?
“I don’t care,” LeBron James said in 2015 about the comparisons being made between him and Simmons, who was then a freshman at LSU.
Simmons brought this hype to the NBA, where he was selected with the No. 1 pick, before winning the Rookie of the Year in 2018 after leaving his “real” rookie year.
The superstar arc was established.
Three consecutive All-Star positions followed, including his last active year in Philadelphia, but the Australian recorded his career lows in points, rebounds and assists as the conversation began to change.
It was before that 2020-21 campaign that Simmons introduced himself to a possible James Harden trade.
It was no longer untouchable.
Simmons would never be LeBron James. But what was once a legitimate “who do you prefer?” Debate. between Simmons and Joel Embiid, he now had a fairly simple answer.
This lingering truth reached its climax against the Atlanta Hawks, before Simmons, for mental health reasons, decided he needed to leave Philadelphia.
Things got up against Atlanta.Source: Getty Images
So he sat down. And he sat down. And he sat down a little longer.
And then, suddenly, thanks to some others NBA star drama — I know, shock — all that sitting paid off.
They say good things come to those who wait.
Simmons waited so long that he landed in Brooklyn, alongside two of the most gifted scorers in NBA history; the perfect punch to complement the game and the elite defense the Australian can bring to an NBA contender.
Why, huh? Even Simmons thought so.
But instead of a three-headed monster that took Brooklyn to its first title, Simmons never got on the court, other than bouncing for his teammates, as Durant and Irving were swept out of the first round of the playoffs. .
Still, it was okay, because Simmons would be healthy for the start of the 2022-23 season, and that trio, at least on paper, still made sense.
But nothing it really makes sense in the NBA.
So Brooklyn and Irving fought over an overtime, before the star opted for a year. This disaster was averted long enough for social media pages to start posting what the Nets ’initial lineup would look like next season, before Durant dropped his bomb.
Chaos.Font: Getty Images
WHERE ARE WE NOW?
Who knows? Durant still wants to go out, but Brooklyn is reportedly waiting for an offer that will surprise them. How this really is after Rudy Gobert’s mammoth journey is hard to figure out.
Irving is around. But who knows for how long. And very soon, Simmons could find himself in a situation like never before.
To make matters worse, Simmons, who is already a relatively unpopular figure in the NBA world, is also the reason Brooklyn’s potential for Durant is limited.
Due to his Designated Rookie extension, Simmons ’place on the list means no other player with the same type of contract can come to Brooklyn while the Australian is there.
That means people like Devin Booker, Donovan Mitchell, Bam Adebayo, Trae Young, Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. they are off the table, unless the Nets can move Simmons as well.
The problem is that Simmons ’commercial value has never been lower.
Simmons had to be packed with Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and two first-round picks for Philadelphia to get a James Harden, which was his first.
Since then, Simmons’ shares have only fallen even further, where even if Durant and Irving left, it probably wouldn’t make sense for Brooklyn to separate from Simmons.
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WHAT HAPPENS Next?
According to an Instagram post posted just before Durant’s commercial request, Simmons felt “amazing” as he prepared to start again in Brooklyn.
Soon after, Simmons ’Instagram account had been shut down and the idea of a fresh start came up with a lot of questions.
Theoretically, Simmons could move on to a deal to release this Designated Rookie spot, or he could run out of Durant and Irving in Brooklyn, with a new cast and a completely different role.
And this is where we come to a kind of crossroads.
In September last year it was reported that the Simmons camp wanted the base to exchange a team built around them on offense. Instead, he ended up in Brooklyn where he would never be “the boy.”
And that seemed to fit well considering everything that had happened.
But play this game with me.
Suppose Durant goes to Phoenix, to argue (you could do it with several teams). In a deal that would probably see Mikal Bridges and Deandre Ayton come to Brooklyn, as well as a number of draft picks.
And with Durant out, we assume Irving will disappear or force his way out.
With everyone healthy, the lineup looks like this: Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Joe Harris, Mikal Bridges, Deandre Ayton.
He may not be a candidate for the title. And it certainly wouldn’t be a team created just by Simmons. At least not publicly. But man, it makes a lot of sense if you consider the defense and the three-point shot you would have around you.
You could even argue that Simmons would be the best player on this team, where he could establish himself as someone Brooklyn wants to maintain or increase in value enough for a change to make sense.
Somehow, it’s the only way for Simmons to reach the heights that were previously expected of him. The only way to be “the boy” again.
Of course, he should be a Simmons without fear of the moment, receiving a foul, making a shot and failing. And we don’t know that Simmons still exists. Or he never did.
But we might be about to find out.