The Australian-born Ben Simmons tantalized the basketball world from an early age due to his size and playmaking ability. He attended Montverde Academy for high school and then played at LSU for a season before becoming the number one overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft.
Unfortunately, he was unable to play his rookie season due to a foot injury. But when he finally got on the court, all he did was rack up triple-doubles and the Rookie of the Year award in 2018. Can’t forget about those steals, as he was at 1.4 or more in each of the first four seasons of his career, leading the league with 2.1 in 2019.
Simmons was named an All-Star in three of his first four campaigns, but issues began to form due to his lack of aggressiveness on offense and poor free throw shooting. The drama began to flow like an erupting volcano as Simmons held out and demanded a trade. Finally, Simmons was traded to the Brooklyn Nets, where he played three seasons and was a shell of himself, averaging fewer than 7.0 points and shooting 40% from the free throw line.
The Nets eventually waived him and Simmons played 18 games with the Los Angeles Clippers. He was out of the league all of last season, but attempted a comeback for this campaign and was successful, as the Sacramento Kings signed him to a one-year deal and Simmons was named a starter.
Well, his NBA career started with an injury. It now looks like his NBA career could end with another injury. On Sunday, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Simmons tore his Achilles during practice.
De’Andre Hunter could now re-enter the starting lineup with Simmons likely out for the season. Precious Achiuwa is also an option.
