Rich Paul Sounds Off on Ben Simmons' Struggles, Decline From All-NBA Level
Even though Ben Simmons' NBA career is often regarded by fans and analysts as a disappointment, his former agent offered a different perspective on things.
On the latest episode of his Game Over podcast with Max Kellerman (starts at 21:00 mark), Rich Paul explained that Simmons' career should be regarded as a success based on what Simmons wanted to achieve:
"Everything that Ben wanted to happen for Ben happened for Ben," Paul said. "He was the number one pick in the draft, he was the Rookie of the Year, he was a perennial All-Star, he was All-NBA and he got the max contract... there's two ways to go about this."
Paul went on to explain that players will either "love what the game brings you or you love the game," but Simmons' ascent happened so "quick" that he didn't figure out where to go next:
"So, you're going up that mountain and some guys get up that mountain and (are) saying, '(exhales) I made it'... some guys get there and it's like, 'Good. I got up there. Now I'm going to go back down.' Some guys (are) like, 'OK, now I want to go higher' and that's the difference."
Simmons' career has largely been defined by injuries and the shot he didn't take for the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 7 of the 2021 postseason against the Atlanta Hawks, but the totality of his NBA tenure is better than that would suggest.
After being the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NBA draft, Simmons made the All-Star team three times and All-Defensive team twice. He parlayed his initial success with the Sixers into a five-year, $177.2 million max extension from Philadelphia and $203.4 million in career earnings.
For perspective, the next three No. 1 picks after Simmons were Markelle Fultz, Deandre Ayton, Zion Williamson. Williamson is the only player from that group who made an All-Star appearance.
This isn't to suggest that Simmons' career shouldn't be criticized for certain things, but he is far from being a bust by the standards of a player drafted with the top overall pick.
