Philadelphia 76ers point guard Ben Simmons has been heavily criticized for his poor performance in the 2020-21 NBA season. With his inconsistencies and hesitance to shoot the ball from beyond the arc, most people viewed Simmons as one of the major reasons why the Sixers failed to reach the Eastern Conference Finals last season. From being a franchise cornerstone, the former No. 1 pick is now considered as the odd man out in the City of Brotherly Love.
However, despite the major flaws in his game, Simmons would still be a great addition to aspiring contenders that need additional star power to boost their chance of winning the 2022 NBA championship title.
Ben Simmons-Anthony Davis Comparison
In a recent appearance on Undisputed, via Twitter, FS1 analyst Skip Bayless made an interesting take about the rumors linking Simmons to the Los Angeles Lakers. If the Lakers succeed to acquire him before the 2022 NBA trade deadline, Bayless believes that Simmons would be "more valuable" than Davis.
"Ben Simmons gives you this: he’s 3+ years younger than Anthony Davis…he’s been pretty health," Bayless said, as quoted by Fadeaway World. "AD is not relatively healthy… If you want a basketball player, I suggest Ben Simmons right now would be more valuable to you than Anthony Davis."
Ben Simmons More Durable Than Anthony Davis
Bayless definitely has a point. Considering the status of both players right now, Simmons is indeed more valuable than Davis. While Simmons is yet to play a single game in the 2021-22 NBA season, he’s currently 100 percent healthy and ready to make an immediate contribution to the court if he’s traded to a team like the Lakers. Meanwhile, Davis is on the sideline with a sprained MCL.
Davis was initially given a four-week timeline for his injury, meaning that he won’t be joining the Lakers on the court until mid-January.
Anthony Davis Looks Semi-Retired
Before he suffered an MCL injury, Davis has already become the subject of criticisms for his underwhelming performance earlier in the 2021-22 NBA season. Bayless said that the current Davis looked "semi-retired" and far from the version of AD that helped the Lakers capture the 2020 NBA championship title.
"I don’t know what’s happened to him," Bayless said. "He got his ring, and it almost felt like he semi-retired. Like he’s not that into it anymore… I don’t see the urgency in his game."
Will The Lakers Trade For Ben Simmons?
Speaking of the rumors linking Simmons to the Lakers, it seems like the Purple and Gold have a real interest in bringing the disgruntled star to Los Angeles before the 2022 NBA trade deadline. In an article, Shams Charania of The Athletic revealed that the Lakers are among the seven teams that have expressed a strong interest in acquiring Simmons from the Sixers.
Unfortunately for the Lakers, Sixers president of basketball operations doesn’t seem to like the idea of swapping Simmons for Russell Westbrook.
]]>The Inquisitr
