Ben Simmons is a player who has always been criticized by sports media, especially when it comes to his jump shot. On numerous occasions, Simmons has been theorized to be "a jump shot away from being the next LeBron James." After a few years in the league, it is now clear to everyone that this is simply not the case, although it would still be nice if he could get some confidence when it comes to shooting the basketball.
As many already know, Simmons was a guest on JJ Redick's "The Old Man And The Three," where he discussed his problems with shooting the ball. At the 24:42 mark down below, Simmons told Redick that the criticism of his shot has confused him at times, and it has messed with his head. Simply put, Simmons doesn't really know when to shoot the ball because everyone has told him that his shot sucks.
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Simmons went on to say that he is more comfortable now and that he realizes he needs to take shots. Moving forward, Simmons wants to play a lot looser with less weight hanging over his head.
"I didn't really realize that early on in my career because this started building up and I'm like, 'They're saying I can't. Should I not? I'm f--king confused now,'" Simmons said. "... It did f--k with me a lot. But I kind of found peace in a place where I'm just like f--k it, it's basketball."
Simmons will be able to show off his jump shot with the Nets this season. Hopefully, he can finally prove all of his doubters wrong.