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The situation between Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers seems to be under scrutiny with every passing day. This time, 3 time NBA Champion Shaquille O'Neal criticized the Australian for his carefree attitude towards the 76ers.
Shaq, who is often very critical about player performances, did not hold back when speaking about the Ben Simmons situation with the Philadelphia 76ers. He expressed his thoughts along with fellow NBA legend Charles Barkley on 'The Big Podcast.' Speaking about the 6 foot 11 guard, the former league MVP said:
"Ben Simmons, you're not that good. And then in this league, do you want to be good? Or do you want to be great? You're not great. But if you want to get to the next level, you have to be great and to be great, you have to work on your game." He further added," A lot of these people you know, hear from their followers, how good you are , how great your are. But you hearing from some OG's right now. You ain't that damn good. And I said,what I said and Chuck said what he said. If you don't like it, do what you gotta do, but you ain't that damn good."
Shaq weighs gravitas to Ben Simmons and his poor performance for the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA Playoffs 2021
Shaquille O'Neal was part of the NBA's TNT team covering the league. He closely watched Ben Simmons and his performances during the regular season and the Playoffs. The Australian averaged 14.3 PPG, 7.2 RPG and 6.9 APG, all of these being his lowest in the four years he has played for Philadelphia 76ers. He choked under pressure during the highly intense playoff series against the Atlanta Hawks.
His poor shooting ability in the series derailed Philly's campaign as they crashed out in the second round to the Hawks. Since then, Simmons has been on the receiving end of criticism from many fans and experts. While talking about Ben Simmons' performances in the Playoffs, Shaq said:
"I was at that Game 6, when that man didn't even look at the basket. And I know as a player, first thing I do is look in the players eyes. That man was out there terrified. No terrified of playing, but terrified of being fouled and missing free throws."
Shaq's remarks are nothing but true. During the NBA Playoffs 2021, Ben Simmons averaged a mere 11.9 PPG on a dismal 34.2% shooting from the free throw line. His poor performance undermined the lion-hearted performance of Joel Embiid for the Philadelphia 76ers, who averaged 28.1 PPG during the Playoffs, despite playing with an injury.
His exit from the Philadelphia 76ers looks imminent after every passing day, as he has expressed his interest in leaving the franchise after 4 years. After being announced as Rookie of the Year in 2018, there were a lot of expectations from Ben Simmons. He was the player expected to pair up with Joel Embiid and carry the franchise forward, but his shooting woes have curtailed the rise of the Philadelphia 76ers. Speaking about Ben Simmons on 'The Big Podcast', Shaq said:
"Don't be putting pictures on your Instagram of your Ferrari or what actress you're hanging around with. When you play for a town like Philadelphia, Boston, L.A. Miami, it's a hard-working town. They don't give a S**t about none of that. They want you to come work hard and play hard."
