Ben Simmons of the Brooklyn Nets has a pretty big problem right now.
It’s simple: the player keeps fouling out of games.
True, it’s only happened a couple of times so far this season but it’s a troubling trend that could only keep growing.
And when Simmons has to sit because of his sixth foul, it only hurts his team.
Ja Morant explains how he got payback & baited Ben Simmons to foul out.
Ben: "I don't want to get fined…It wasn't a foul." pic.twitter.com/To2IofKsN4
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) October 25, 2022
Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies knew that and that’s why he rope-a-doped Simmons into a big mistake the other night.
Morant remembered a play from his rookie year, when Simmons snuck up on him, stole the ball, and put up an easy two points.
With that in mind, Morant set himself up for the exact same sort of steal from Simmons.
Only this time, Morant leaned into it, drew a foul from Simmons, and sent the Nets star to the bench.
He even waved goodbye to him as he walked away.
Simmons Gets Tricked, Morant Gets Treated
This was a great move from Morant for a couple of reasons.
Firstly, it was just smart and it led to Simmons receiving his sixth personal foul.
But secondly, it’s impressive that Morant drew upon an experience from a few years ago.
It’s as if he had this memory in his back pocket, waiting for the right moment to use it to his advantage.
This is just one of the things that makes Morant such a special player.
He is already having a terrific season and is on a path to outdo what he accomplished last year.
As for Simmons, he needs to sit down and have a chat with Steve Nash about how to avoid so many fouls.
The Nets simply cannot lose him so often for silly mistakes.
NEXT: The Nets Hold An Unfortunate NBA Title