Charles Barkley on Ben Simmons future: 'Might be his last year in NBA' / News - Basketnews.com

Barkley is disappointed in the Ben Simmons situation because the 76ers chose him over Jimmy Butler. The Hall of Famer attacked Simmons for his behavior during the 2021-22 season and said that the Australian might not even play in the NBA anymore after the next year.

Credit: AP Photo/Jessica Hill, Matt Slocum - Scanpix Credit AP Photo/Jessica Hill, Matt Slocum - Scanpix

Ever since the start of the 2021-22 NBA season, Ben Simmons has been in the public spotlight, and not for the best of reasons. This time, NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley weighed in on it, remembering the dilemma that the Philadelphia 76ers once had.

Points this season

49%112,4Points made:112,4Accuracy:48,5%Place in standings:24Record max:143Record min:84Best scorer:Nicolas ClaxtonTeamNBAStatisticsSchedule

With NBA Finals underway, the focus of the basketball world is on two teams - Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat. With Nikola Jokic dominating on the Nuggets roster, Jimmy Butler has received countless praise for his effort in the playoffs as well.

In the New Heights podcast with NFL players Jason Kelce and Travis Kelce, Barkley attacked Simmons for his behavior during the 2021-22 NBA season when he was still with the 76ers but held out due to internal disagreement with the organization.

"I'm so disappointed in the Ben Simmons situation. The Sixers had to choose between Ben Simmons and Jimmy Butler. Obviously, they chose wrong," Barkley said. "What bugs me about the Ben Simmons situation is - as an organization, as a coaching staff, they just asked him to get better at basketball, and his response was 'Well, here's the middle finger, I'm not playing here anymore'."

"As a player, your first response should never be 'I'm never playing here again'. It makes the Jimmy Butler situation look even worse," the legend continued. "From Ben Simmons' standpoint, they asked you to get better at basketball and your response is 'Screw you guys, I'm not playing here anymore'? I'm so disappointed as a player. If your coach asks you to get better as a player, that's his job."

Simmons didn't play a single game in the 2021-22 season. First, it was due to the holdout. After getting traded, it was due to a lack of physical preparedness and then injury.

Before getting traded to the Brooklyn Nets, Simmons played for four seasons in Philadelphia, averaging 15.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, 7.7 assists, and 1.7 steals per game, earning him an All-NBA nod in 2020 and 3 All-Star appearances along the way.

Last season, his stats dropped significantly to 6.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, 6.1 assists, and 1.3 steals per game. Barkley thinks that if Simmons continues on the same path he's currently on, it might even mean the end of his NBA career.

"If you look at it, he's probably ruined his career," Barkley said. "He's got this psychological block now when he's scared to shoot the ball. He's got another year of $40 million a year, he's got at least one more year to try and get it right. If he plays like he did this year when he's afraid to shoot the ball, scared to shoot free throws, this might be his last year in the NBA."

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