Former 9-Year Veteran Calls Ben Simmons A "Minimum Player For Rest Of Career"

Will the Brooklyn Nets' beleaguered guard Ben Simmons ever recapture his All-Star form? According to former NBA player Chandler Parsons, it's not very likely. He calls the former Rookie of the Year and 2-time All-Defensive first teamer, "a minimum player for the rest of his career."

“He’s most likely a minimum player for the rest of his career…”@ChandlerParsons on Ben Simmons 👀

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"He was a heck of a player and he's athletic, he's got a strong build, and great vision," said Parsons on FanDuel TV. "He has all the tools physically to be a successful player in this league...

[But] it's a strong mental block, in my opinion, where he just can't overcome it. And we almost have to just stop talking about it! We have to take him for what he is."

Simmons is averaging 6.9 points this season—far less than half his previous career mark—and is taking just 5.6 shots a game. That, too, is about half of the shots he'd averaged in Philadelphia. He plays scared, timid, and is basically a shell of his former dominant self.

He still has two years remaining after this one on his 5-year, $177M contract signed with the Philadelphia 76ers. That's over $78M that he's still owed. Yet Parsons feels the Nets will decide to eat it:

"I think it's eventually gonna lead to a buyout, and he's most likely a minimum player for the rest of his career."

Photo: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports