Windhorst: NBA Scouts Believe Ben Simmons' Lack of Aggression Due to Fear of Fouls

NBA evaluators had one theory for why Brooklyn Nets star Ben Simmons is so hesitant around the basket.

ESPN's Brian Windhorst said Thursday on NBA Today some scouts "believe the reason that Ben Simmons doesn't go aggressive isn't because he's afraid of missing the shot as much as he's afraid of being fouled."

Simmons is a 59.6 percent free-throw shooter and is 3-of-9 from the charity stripe to open the 2022-23 season.

It's easy to see why somebody outside the team would come to that conclusion.

Simmons' vision and playmaking are two of his stronger attributes on offense. There will inevitably be times he passes the ball off when others would've pulled up or driven to the basket. At this point, we can assume he'll simply never be much of a shooter, too.

Many notable players throughout the history of the NBA were poor free-throw shooters. Most of them either improved over time or worked around it and didn't let it affect how they played.

However, Simmons' passivity to start his Nets tenure isn't encouraging. He's averaging just 8.2 shots per 100 possessions through the first four games, half of his career average (16.3), per Basketball Reference.

Kyrie Irving audibly implored the 6'10" guard to shoot when he got the ball inside the paint in a 110-99 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.

Irving downplayed the significance of that moment, saying it was "just a clip" and indicative of how he and his teammates "want Ben to be aggressive every single play."

But this illustrates why it might be difficult for Simmons to address whatever the underlying causes for his current slump are.

He's a three-time All-Star who plays on a team with championship aspirations, so nothing he does will fly under the radar and his every move will be thoroughly scrutinized. And the longer he struggles, the more people will talk about it.

That's a recipe for disaster for any player who's battling some sort of mental block.

It's far too early to draw any conclusions about Simmons because missing the entire 2021-22 season meant he might have a difficult adjustment early on. Nonetheless, Windhorst's report shows how he's not getting the benefit of the doubt.