Knicks Analyst Wally Szczerbiak Slams 'Scared' Ben Simmons: 'Most Overrated Player'
Wally Szczerbiak, a former NBA player and current New York Knicks analyst on MSG Network, is not a big fan of Brooklyn Nets power forward Ben Simmons.
"Most overrated player is Ben Simmons. It's not even close," he said on MSG Network Monday night (h/t Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News). "The guy couldn't even play in the playoffs two years ago. Then he was scared to get on the court all of last year. The guy is scared to shoot. He's the first pick in the NBA draft and you can't even get him on the basketball floor."
Szczerbiak wasn't done there.
"He's supposed to be a good defender," he continued. "He was playing for the Nets and they were giving up 125 points per game and they got their coach [Steve Nash] fired because they couldn't stop anybody. Simmons is so overrated you can't even put him in the game anymore. It's a little bit of a shame."
It's been a struggle for Simmons in his first on-court action for the Nets this season.
He fouled out of two of his first three games. Left knee soreness kept him out of four games. His return from that injury on Monday night didn't go well, as he posted only two points, three rebounds, two assists and one steal in 16 minutes in a loss to the Dallas Mavericks, while Luka Doncic went off for 36 points.
"I'm my harshest critic, so I think terrible," Simmons told reporters when asked to assess his performance. "There's a place I want to get to. I got to keep working, I got to keep pushing myself and adapting, so I'll get there."
Overall this season, Simmons is averaging only 5.6 points on 5.3 shots per game. Offensive aggression has been an issue for him throughout his career, but in Brooklyn, he's taking less than half his career average in shots per game (11.4).
In most years and for most organizations, Simmons' struggles would be the primary storyline. On these Nets, the firing of head coach Steve Nash and Kyrie Irving's ongoing suspension have overshadowed him. As the season progresses, however, Simmons' struggles will become a greater worry if they persist.
Simmons is supposed to be the Nets' third star behind Kevin Durant and Irving. While he deserves some benefit of the doubt since he missed the entire 2021-22 season, he hasn't looked like anything closely resembling a star yet this year.
