Stephen A. Smith ripped Ben Simmons during ESPN’s ‘NBA Countdown’ as the three-time All-Star struggles through his first healthy season with the Brooklyn Nets.
“Ben Simmons, it’s a sad situation,” Smith said. “And I don’t mean this literally, because obviously, he’s not doing it, but one would say, he is stealing money.”
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Simmons ejected after ref dissent | 00:50
“Ben Simmons is stealing money, ski mask and gloves,” Rose said, citing the guard having 119 fouls, 113 baskets and shooting 43 percent from the free throw line.
Nets coach Jacque Vaughn also had a clear message for Simmons after he was ejected.
“We need him to be productive, and that is without the fouls,” Vaughn said.
“That is helping us rebound the basketball. That is playing with poise and composure. That is pushing the pace for us. So unfortunately when you’re a really good basketball player, your list is long and so are the responsibilities.
“And hopefully, we’ll continue to ask of those things and challenge him and challenge this group to be able to answer those long lists.”
Despite a win Saturday over the Jazz, the Nets have stumbled since Kevin Durant went down with a knee injury earlier this month. Brooklyn has gone 1-4 and posted the league’s ninth-worst Net Rating over that period.
This article first appeared on The New York Postand was reproduced with permission.
