Why The Brooklyn Nets Do The Deal
Explaining how Ben Simmons hasn’t met expectations gets complicated.
Simmons is immensely talented. He’s one of the best defensive players in the entire NBA. Furthermore, his floor vision ranks among the league’s best as well. For all the disputes there are to be had about Simmons, his talent is unimpeachable.
With that said, he comes with his own issues. Some of them are physical, and by all appearances, some of them are mental. The most difficult of them all is strictly related to basketball.
Ben Simmons doesn’t shoot threes. Period. He’s an absolute non-shooter, which poses real challenges for a lead ball-handler in the modern NBA. Furthermore, his back injuries have made his availability a question mark.
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By contrast, Ayton is a lower ceiling, higher floor proposition. He’s a more limited player than Simmons, but the limitations he has are less glaring. The Nets do this deal because he’s a simpler building block to work with. Will the Suns be interested in the more complicated Simmons?
