Bill Simmons says Ben Simmons critics ‘can f*** off’

ONE of America’s most powerful sports media voices has come out swinging in defence of Australian basketball prospect Ben Simmons.

LSU v Kentucky

ONE of America’s most powerful sports media voices has come out swinging in defence of Australian basketball prospect Ben Simmons.

The NBA-bound youngster has been pilloried by US draft analysts in recent weeks but Bill Simmons — the former ESPN media heavyweight who is set to launch his new site The Ringer — defended Simmons in a discussion with author Chuck Klosterman on his podcast.

Asked by Klosterman if he was “kind of off” the Simmons bandwagon after his disappointing finish to the college basketball season, Bill Simmons wasn’t budging.

“No, I’m still on. I’m riding. I’m in the front row. Everybody can f*** off. I’m all in on Ben Simmons still,” he said.

The most frequent criticism of Simmons relates to his outside shooting and lack of aggression. Bill Simmons wasn’t concerned about Simmons only attempting three three-pointers all season for LSU, noting San Antonio Spurs Star Kawhi Leonard — who is second in the NBA in three-point percentage — only hit a quarter of his long-range attempts in college.

“I think if you’re talented and if you care and you just trap yourself in a gym, you can learn how to shoot unless your shot is just so fundamentally broken,” Bill Simmons said.

“Even (former Spurs 3-and-D specialist) Bruce Bowen taught himself how to shoot. I watched Bruce Bowen in Celtics games for two years in the late 90s and the guy couldn’t hit the side of the backboard ...

“I don’t care that he can’t shoot yet, he’s going to learn how to shoot.”

Simmons did believe Simmons was passive in some games — particularly in a marquee match-up against Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield — and questioned his decision to go to LSU.

But he also believed he suffered from poor coaching and being on a bad team.

“I just felt bad for him,” he said. “You could see it early on in the season, the team wasn’t talented and he was way ahead of them from a hoops IQ standpoint. And the coach is just a bad coach.”

Bill Simmons is still on the Ben Simmons bandwagon.

The former Grantland editor put forward an interesting theory about the draft, arguing it might be better for Simmons’ future if he was overlooked for the first pick — like Michael Jordan and Kevin Durant.

“The best thing that could ever happen to this guy is if he doesn’t go first. If he goes second, I think that is the thing he needs,” Bill Simmons said.

“If you love Ben Simmons — and I’m still a believer and I’m still in the front row — the best thing that will happen to him is if (Duke star) Brandon Ingram has four good games in this tournament. Or if the Utah centre, who I really like, Jakob Poeltl, if one of those guys goes nuts.

“It was great for Durant. I think it was awesome for him. And Jordan.”

Philadelphia, LA Lakers, Phoenix, Boston and Minnesota are the five NBA teams with the best chance of landing the number one pick in the draft lottery.

Bill Simmons believes Boston and Minnesota — who have other talented young players — are the best fit for the Aussie.

“The better the teammates are the better he’s going to be because he’s such a good passer and he doesn’t care if he shoots 20 times, he’s the guy that’s going to fit in,” he said.

“So if he goes with Towns and Wiggins or if he’s on the Celtics with Isiah as the crunch time guy and Brad Stevens, it could be an awesome situation.

“If he goes to Philly as the ‘number one pick/saviour’ — I think that’s dangerous.”

Simmons received savage criticism on The Vertical on Tuesday as draft expert Jonathan Givony questioned his character.

But on the same website today Chris Mannix suggested some of the criticism of Simmons was nitpicking.

“I still think Ben Simmons is the number overall pick in the draft,” Mannix said on his podcast. “Every college scout that I talk to says all these negative things about Simmons — he’s not aggressive enough, doesn’t play physical enough, doesn’t want the ball at the end of games. But then they end that discussion with ‘but I’d still take him number one’. As improved as Brandon Ingram is this year, I don’t think he’s done anywhere near enough to eclipse Ben Simmons as the number one pick.”

Originally published as Bill Simmons says Ben Simmons critics ‘can f*** off’