{"id":369294,"date":"2025-12-24T17:56:08","date_gmt":"2025-12-24T17:56:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/369294\/"},"modified":"2025-12-24T17:56:08","modified_gmt":"2025-12-24T17:56:08","slug":"ben-simmons-doesnt-want-to-waste-an-nba-spot-by-returning-too-soon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/369294\/","title":{"rendered":"Ben Simmons Doesn\u2019t Want To ‘Waste An NBA Spot’ By Returning Too Soon"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ben Simmons<\/a> isn\u2019t rushing back, and for the first time in a long while, he sounds fully at peace with that decision. In a candid explanation of where he stands right now, Simmons made it clear that simply getting back on an NBA roster is not the goal. In an exclusive interview with Marc J Spears<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t believe it\u2019s just getting on a team. So, if I were to play right now, I think I\u2019d fit right into the NBA just given what I can do. But I want to give everything I can to the game. I don\u2019t think there\u2019s any point in just wasting a spot just to be out there. I think that\u2019s a little selfish. And there are guys that do it now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut that\u2019s what it is, the business. For me, I\u2019m very blessed to not have to be in that situation where I need to fight right now. But I want to get to the best of my ability and physical peak to compete. Otherwise, it doesn\u2019t really serve me any purpose.\u201d <\/p>\n

The resume is still real. A three-time All-Star, two-time NBA All-Defensive First Team, and an All-NBA third team selection. One of the most versatile defenders of his generation. But the last few seasons have chipped away at that reputation. Injuries, confidence issues, and long absences turned Simmons from a franchise cornerstone into a question mark.<\/p>\n

Last season, split between the Nets and the Clippers, he averaged just 5.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 5.6 assists in 51 games. The efficiency was fine on paper, but the impact wasn\u2019t. When Simmons was on the floor, defenses barely guarded him, shrinking the court and turning possessions into four-on-five situations.<\/p>\n

The reality is that teams aren\u2019t keen on signing a star who is injury-prone, a non-shooting guard who may only play half a season. He\u2019s 29, in the middle of his prime. And at this stage, front offices value reliability the most.<\/p>\n

Simmons seems to understand that coming back too soon could be the final nail in the coffin. If he returns before his body and mind can handle the spotlight, and he looks like a shell of himself, the league may close the door for good. That\u2019s why he is choosing patience, even while the rumors spread.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s been linked to everything from a potential 76ers reunion to interest overseas<\/a>, even drawing attention for ghosting teams<\/a> and parting ways with his agent earlier this season<\/a>. None of that has changed his stance.<\/p>\n

Still, time is not a luxury. Every season away makes it harder to sell teams on the idea that the old Simmons can return. The league has moved even further toward shooting, spacing, and offensive aggression. A 6-10 guard who can\u2019t shoot and is not confident in his game has no place in today\u2019s NBA.<\/p>\n

Simmons\u2019 mindset might be the healthiest it\u2019s been in years. But the clock is loud. If this comeback doesn\u2019t happen soon and if it doesn\u2019t look dramatically different when it does, his NBA career may quietly slip away. He knows that, too. And that\u2019s exactly why he refuses to rush it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Ben Simmons isn\u2019t rushing back, and for the first time in a long while, he sounds fully at…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":369295,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[557],"tags":[64,63,590,85],"class_list":["post-369294","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-nba","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/369294","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=369294"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/369294\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/369295"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=369294"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=369294"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=369294"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}