The NBA superstar was asked about the Philadelphia 76ers’ rookie point guard and he said, “He’s not that good.”
The ben simmons trade is a topic that has been going on for a while. Shaquille O’Neal said Ben Simmons is not that good even though he previously compared him to Jason Kidd and Magic Johnson.
Shaquille O’Neal is among many who have chastised Ben Simmons, the point guard for the Philadelphia 76ers, for his handling of the never-ending trade controversy. Shaq’s most recent critiques, on the other hand, may be the consequence of his high expectations.
O’Neal previously said that Simmons is not the kind of player who can control his present position and threaten a strike. The Diesel, on the other hand, was the one who previously likened the erratic Sixers star to two of the game’s best point guards.
On his podcast, Shaquille O’Neal claimed Ben Simmons is “not that good.”
During an episode of The Big Podcast With Shaq earlier this month, Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley grilled Ben Simmons.
Barkley began by expressing his disappointment in Simmons, claiming that the star guard is certain about his shooting skills (or lack thereof) and that the Sixers aren’t asking much of him. Shaq even went a step farther.
O’Neal went after the No. 1 overall selection in 2016, claiming that Simmons lacked the character to conduct himself in this manner.
“You’re not that good, Ben Simmons. Then there’s the question of whether you want to be excellent or great in this league. You’re not amazing, but you’re decent.”
-Shaquille O’Neal on SHaquille O’Neal’s Big Podcast
Shaq said he was “terrified” during Game 6 of the Eastern Conference playoffs because he was weary of watching Simmons’ Instagram training videos. “If you don’t like it, you do what you have to do,” O’Neal said subtly to Simmons. But you ain’t that great.”
Superman has “G14 classification,” as he likes to remark. Many former players and NBA insiders agree with his comments.
Nonetheless, Shaq has likened Simmons to some of the greatest guards in NBA history.
Simmons was compared by O’Neal to Jason Kidd and Magic Johnson.
“He reminds me of Jason Kidd and Magic Johnson,” Shaq says of Ben Simmons.
February 26, 2021 — Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson (@ScoopB)
Shaquille O’Neal may not think highly of Simmons right now, but not long ago, he compared the three-time All-abilities Star’s to those of players who were unquestionably “that good.”
In February, Shaq claimed Simmons reminded him of Jason Kidd and Magic Johnson, two players who could fill the stat sheet and had incredible court vision. Although O’Neal did not explicitly state that Simmons’ potential is comparable to that of Kidd or Magic, the sheer fact that he was mentioned among those two NBA superstars is significant.
Some basketball fans may be taken aback by such comparisons, believing, as The Diesel recently said, that Simmons does not deserve to be listed with J-Kidd and Magic. However, when seen in context, the three players are very similar.
Will Simmons be able to back up Shaq’s earlier claims?
Weiss Eubanks/NBCUniversal/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images (L), Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images (R) | Shaquille O’Neal (L) and Ben Simmons (R) | Weiss Eubanks/NBCUniversal/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images (R)
The greatest players, according to Shaq, accept the grind and improve on their flaws over time. Later in their careers, both Jason Kidd and Magic Johnson did this.
Kidd and Johnson, like Ben Simmons, were not the greatest shooters in the beginning. In his nine seasons in the NBA, Johnson shot 19.2 percent from beyond the arc on 0.5 attempts per game. During the 1988-89 season, though, his three-point percentage increased to 31.4 percent, and his attempts increased to 2.4 per game. The next season, Magic improved his shooting even further, hitting 38.4 percent of his triples on 3.5 attempts per game.
Kidd went through a similar transformation. During his first 13 NBA seasons, he averaged 33.3 percent on 3.9 attempts per game. Over his last six seasons, though, he shot 37.8% on 4.5 attempts.
Of course, in Johnson’s and Kidd’s respective periods, point guards weren’t needed to be good outside shooters. Things have altered dramatically. To be successful and compete for an NBA title, most teams need sweet-shooting guards.
Will Simmons’ shooting ability improve? If he does, Shaq’s parallels to Jason Kidd and Magic Johnson will be confirmed. But if he doesn’t, as O’Neal predicted, he’ll be “very good” rather than “great” for the rest of his career.
Basketball Reference provided the statistics.
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Ben Simmons is a young basketball player who has been compared to Jason Kidd and Magic Johnson. Shaquille O’Neal, the former NBA star, recently said that Simmons is not that good. Reference: where is ben simmons from.
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