Inside The Nets

Ja Morant Reveals How He Baited Ben Simmons Into Fouling Out

Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant outsmarted Brooklyn Nets guard Ben Simmons

Joey Linn

© Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports
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So far during his first few games with the Brooklyn Nets, Ben Simmons has not performed at the level he or the team hoped he would. While both sides understand it will be a process before Simmons is entirely comfortable on the floor, he has not looked sharp at all, with his fouling being one of the primary issues.

Fouling out again on Monday night, Simmons picked up his sixth foul on a play that Memphis Grizzles star Ja Morant said was calculated on his part. Recalling a play from his rookie year, Morant detailed a sequence where Simmons picked his pocket while he was distracted by a play call.

The play being referenced occurred while Morant was looking at his coach for a play call, so pretending to do that again, Morant knew Simmons would get over-aggressive and go for the steal. When that happened, Morant was able to draw the sixth and disqualifying foul on Simmons, just as he had planned.

While the foul call was questionable, it worked exactly as Morant planned it would. It was a savvy play by the young guard, and even though it was a questionable call, Simmons has to understand the situation better, and not put himself in a position to foul out again. Knowing he would go for the steal, Morant made it an early night for the Brooklyn Nets guard.

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Joey Linn
JOEY LINN

Title: Credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation Email: joeylinn32@sbcglobal.net Education: Communication Studies degree from Biola University Location: Los Angeles, California Expertise: NBA analysis, insight, and reporting Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined Sports Illustrated's FanNation to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Receiving a media credential during the 2021-22 season, Joey has experience interviewing NBA players, and developing exclusive stories from these interviews. Having appeared on several different NBA podcasts over the last four seasons, Joey is now hosting his own podcast for The Sporting Tribune. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams during his time in school. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts, combined with his excellence in the classroom, earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Now graduated, Joey is covering the NBA full-time across multiple platforms. Credentialed by the Clippers, Joey covers the team daily with articles, podcasts, and video breakdowns on YouTube. With four years of sports media experience, Joey provides expert insight and analysis for NBA fans across the league.

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