Nets' Jared Dudley Says He Regrets Calling 76ers' Ben Simmons 'Average'

Brooklyn Nets forward Jared Dudley was seemingly trolling Ben Simmons when he called the Philadelphia 76ers star "average," but he says it was just a poor word choice.

"Should I have used the word 'average'? Looking back on it, no," Dudley told Marc Stein of the New York Times. "It was such a negative reaction after I said it that no one heard I also said he was elite in transition and an elite passer. But, you know, it happens. It's the playoffs. And I understand the reaction. I understand how it goes."

The original comments came after Game 1 of the first-round series, where Simmons was held to nine points in a 111-102 loss to the Nets.

"I think that Ben Simmons is a great player in transition," Dudley said after the game, per James Herbert of CBS Sports. "Once you slow him up in the half court, I think he's average when it comes to that."

Simmons seemed to brush off the comments when he was told about them:

Fortunately for the 76ers, the All-Star made a bigger impact in the ensuing games to help win the series in five games. However, Dudley continued to play a role while getting in the heads of the Philadelphia players.

Dudley and Jimmy Butler were both ejected in Game 4 after an altercation following a hard foul from Joel Embiid.

However, the Sixers have now moved on, and it seems Dudley is also looking to the future as he heads toward free agency. Perhaps going forward he will choose his words more carefully so he doesn't create a firestorm.