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Ben Simmons Explained Why He’s 'Not That Bad at Basketball'

Stephen Douglas

Ben Simmons reintroduces himself to the media.
Ben Simmons reintroduces himself to the media. / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
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The Brooklyn Nets were one of the teams to have media day on Monday, which meant that Ben Simmons was there to talk to the press. Comeback season is over and now it's time for Simmons to face the bright lights head-on. Soon there will be actual professional basketball games and Simmons will provide all the actual answers about his health and game.

But first, he had to convince the assembled press that he was ready to go again. This included insisting on multiple occassions that he's not a bad basketball player. In fact, in Simmons' own words, he's "not that bad" and maybe even "pretty good."

"I'm not that bad at basketball," Simmons said after being told he was 14th all-time triple-doubles. "That's not too bad, but I think got some more in me."

For some perspective, Simmons's last triple-double was in June 2021 as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers. He had 19 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds in a closeout game against the Washington Wizards. Joel Embiid did not play and Seth Curry scored 30 in the win. Bradley Beal had 32 in the loss.

Obviously, it's been a while. Can't wait to find out if he really has a few more in him.

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Stephen Douglas
STEPHEN DOUGLAS

Stephen Douglas is a Senior Writer on the Breaking & Trending News Team at Sports Illustrated. He has been in journalism and media since 2008, and now casts a wide net with coverage across all sports. Stephen spent more than a decade with The Big Lead and has previously written for Uproxx and The Sporting News. He has three children, two degrees and one now unverified Twitter account.

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