Ben Simmons’ NBA career has received a ton of scrutiny as of late, and it is very much deserved. This past season, Simmons did not play a single game as he had a falling out with the Philadelphia 76ers. This falling out had everything to do with the fact that he played terribly in the 2021 playoffs, although Simmons claims that he was suffering from back issues and a heightened level of anxiety.
Eventually, Simmons got what he wanted as he was traded to the Brooklyn Nets. Simmons went on to play exactly zero games for the Nets. In fact, Simmons told the Nets he would be available for Game 4 against the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs, but he eventually backed out of his promise at the last minute.
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Now, a new report from Ric Bucher seems to indicate that Simmons felt a lot of pressure about coming back, and it eventually got to him. In the clip below, Bucher details how Simmons was asked by his teammates to participate in Game 4. Eventually, Simmons didn’t answer back and just left the chat entirely.
Bucher then went on to say that this could have been a factor in Kevin Durant’s decision to request a trade from the franchise. After all, it is clear that Simmons has some sort of fear of actually playing basketball.
Simmons should be on track to be in the lineup for the Nets come opening night, but given recent history, there is no guarantee of that. Stay tuned to HNHH for more updates from around the NBA.