NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
For the life of me, I can’t figure out why Giannis Antetokounmpo is better than Ben Simmons. In all fairness, they both share the same skill set but Giannis thrived while Ben has regressed.
If we were to look at their basketball upbringing before the NBA, the safe money would have been on Ben becoming MVP well before Giannis. Ben played college ball while Giannis didn’t. Ben had the inside track as far as the American style of play while Giannis earned his stripes overseas.
Ben was surrounded by hype. He was to become the next Magic Johnson while Giannis was thought to be either a project or bust. But things never work out the way these so-called experts expect. Simmons was grabbed with the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NBA draft while Giannis went 15th in 2013.
Once in the NBA, their careers were right where many thought they would be. Depending on who you talk to, Simmons’ real rookie season began in 2017, thanks to an injury the year prior. This is where it all takes a weird turn for both players.
What exactly does Giannis do that Ben can’t? Both players are not great perimeter players and yet, Giannis is still thriving while Ben is playing himself out of the league. Giannis will never be a Steph Curry-like shooter and yet, he has no problem releasing from deep. Ben has a better form but he refuses to shoot.
Both players can create their own shot but as a PG, it’s no secret that Simmons has the better handles and yet, he’ll rather go for the assists than take it strong to the rim. This is where Giannis thrives. He loves the contact. He loves to dunk. He loves to shoot within 5 feet of the rim. And he doesn’t care if he makes or misses. On the defensive side of the court, can you honestly say that both are not 1st Team defenders?
Ben Simmons Is Going Down As A NBA Bust
This is exactly what the 76ers thought Ben would be at by now and the same goes for the Brooklyn Nets. Simmons is supposed to be where Giannis Antetokounmpo is. Hell, he’s supposed to be better than Giannis at this point. Giannis does nothing special on the court as far as signature moves and yet, he does everything special. If he ever gets a jump shot, there’s no telling where that could take him.
Ben Simmons has relied on pure talent since being in the NBA while Giannis has relied on talent and hard work. Giannis is averaging 22.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 4.7 assists for his career while Simmons has averaged 14.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 7.5 assists while shooting .560 from the floor while Simmons is at .537.
In the two areas where both players are horrible, only Giannis has shown the willingness to improve. For his career, Simmons is a .139 percent shooter from 3-point territory, while Giannis is at .287. The big difference there is that Giannis has just begun to add that to his arsenal. And while he’s not the best, he refused to accept the concept of not trying.
Even at the free throw line, both players have struggled. However, Giannis loves the contact and will drive to the rim no matter who is awaiting him. For his career, he’s shooting a dismal .708 while Simmons is hitting his FTs at a percentage of .591.
What’s astonishing regarding these two players is that they are the same player. Neither does one thing better than the other and yet, Giannis is a two-time MVP and NBA champion and Simmons has had his desire to play questioned more than any recent No. 1 pick in NBA history.
By all accounts, these two players should be neck and neck as far as being the face of the league but where one player has the desire to get better and improve his team, the other is fighting for a roster spot in the league. We can look back to the infamous playoff series against the Atlanta Hawks where it all went wrong with Simmons but the truth is, the writing has been on the wall for a while. Ben Simmons has never improved while Giannis Antetokounmpo does nothing but look for ways to improve.
