Over the last few years, Ben Simmons has been one of the biggest enigmas in sports.
He was considered to be brimming with talent when he was the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, but even though he has been a good player, he hasn’t even come close to fulfilling his potential.
Then there is the matter of his injury problems, especially his back ailment that has cost him many games over the past couple of years.
Anthony Puccio reminded everyone on Twitter how much Simmons has been paid by the Brooklyn Nets since arriving there midway through the 2021-22 season and how many games he has actually played during that time for them.
“Ben Simmons timeline in Brooklyn: 2021-22: 0 games ($33 million); 2022-23: 42 games ($35.4 million); 2023-24: 17 games ($37.9 million). He’s owed $40.3 million in 2024-25,” Puccio tweeted.
Ben Simmons timeline in Brooklyn:
2021-22: 0 games ($33 million)
2022-23: 42 games ($35.4 million)
2023-24: 17 games ($37.9 million)He’s owed $40.3 million in 2024-25.
— Anthony Puccio (@APOOCH) March 7, 2024
Simmons, who was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers, demanded that the 76ers trade him following their collapse in the second round of the 2021 playoffs.
After they lost at home in Game 7, a game in which Simmons was extremely passive, then-head coach Doc Rivers said he wasn’t sure Simmons could be the point guard on a championship team.
That statement, which seemed, at worst, neutral on the surface, was misconstrued as an insult by Simmons, and he subsequently cut off almost all communication between himself and the Sixers organization.
They traded him to Brooklyn, but once he arrived in Brooklyn, he started to complain of a back problem, and he would soon have surgery on it.
Simmons is quite a conundrum because he has a unique skill set — at 6-foot-10, he can handle the ball in the open court like a guard, finish near the rim, hit the open man, and defend at a high level.
But he has never developed the ability to hit shots outside of the paint, and his scoring has dropped from 14.3 points a game three seasons ago to 6.1 points in 15 games this season.
NEXT: Nets Could Soon Make A Decision About Ben Simmons' Future