Richard Jefferson Defends Ben Simmons: "We Cannot Judge Ben Until 50 Games Into The Season"

Richard Jefferson has explained that Ben Simmons being criticized at the moment is not very valid, and that he should judged about 50 games into the season.

Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski/USA Today Sports

Ben Simmons remains one of the NBA's stars that is perhaps the easiest to hate. The Brooklyn Nets man has lost a lot of goodwill due to the way he left the Philadelphia 76ers and never being able to develop a jump shot. All that being said though, Simmons has been showing in recent games why he has made All-Star multiple times in his career. 

Ben Simmons started this season very slowly with the Brooklyn Nets and even missed a few games as he continues to get back to his best. But he is now showing flashes of his immense talent once again. Simmons in his last 5 games is averaging over 16 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists a game. He is looking better on defense too, now that he is getting his legs under him once again. 

The Australian has been defended by players across the league and members of NBA media. Markieff Morris, his teammate, addressed the media and fans and blasted them for not giving Simmons time to fully return. Jay Williams has also defended him, and now a former NBA champion has added his voice to the discourse. 

---

Richard Jefferson Claims Criticism Of Ben Simmons Is Premature

Any time a player misses an entire season, it stands to reason that they will take time to get back to their best even after they return. The narrative around Simmons and the Brooklyn Nets hasn't allowed for that. And now Richard Jefferson has said on the Ryen Russillo podcast that it's too early to judge Simmons. 

“If you’ve taken a year off, and you haven’t seen a 100 mph fastball, that thing is looking like a 200 mph fastball. The first few games it was like nothing out there, his head was spinning.

"Over the last five games, you’ve seen progression. He’d score 11, then he scored 15, I’m not saying his scoring is gonna keep ascending, but he’s getting it. … We cannot judge Ben until 50 games into the season!

“Russell Westbrook last year with the Lakers, and it was just not a good fit. ‘Okay, we get it. 50 games in, this s**t ain’t changing.’ But for us to do that eight, 10, 15, 20 games into the season, when a guy didn’t play the year before and had surgery in April, that’s just not enough time."

The Brooklyn Nets are showing flashes of what they can be once again, and Simmons getting back to his best is crucial to that. The expectations from him are massive, and failing will surely result in more trolling. But if he gets back to how good he was after everything that has happened, it will surely be an epic comeback story. 

We sincerely appreciate and respect you as a reader of our site. It would help us a lot if you follow us on Google News because of the latest update.

Thanks for following us. We really appreciate your support.