Metta Sandiford-Artest On Ben Simmons: "This Kid Is Gonna Be An MVP Candidate. He Will Be A Champion."

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Everybody seems to be talking about Ben Simmons right now but not many people are saying good things.

Some people say that Simmons is running away from criticism and bailing on his teammates rather than trying to get better. Others say that the Sixers just need to move on from him.

But, if you were to ask former NBA Champion Metta Sandiford-Artest, Simmons is only going to get better. In fact, he went as far as to say that he could become an MVP candidate and a great shooter down the line:

“You don’t become third-team [All-NBA] in 2020, and then in 2021 and 2022, you become worse,” Artest told TMZ. “This kid is gonna be an MVP candidate. The thing about it is, just because he’s a superstar doesn’t mean he needs to be a shooter. Gary Payton was starting to shoot the ball late in his career. You look at guys like Jason Kidd, [he was] just like Ben Simmons. Later in his career, Jason Kidd became an all-time great 3-point shooter. … Remember when Jason Kidd couldn’t shoot?

“Never will we let our close alumni of elite defenders be disrespected; there’s only a few of us, and Ben Simmons is one of us,” Artest added. “And we will not let him go down and be disrespected. He will be an MVP candidate, and he will be second-team All-NBA; he will be a champion, hopefully in Philly with my good brother Elton Brand.”

No one can deny that Simmons has a unique skill set and the potential to be one of the greatest to ever do it. I mean, we're talking about a former first-overall pick.

Simmons' talents or skills have never been put into question. Whether he can fulfill that potential or not, that's yet to be seen.