Simmons vows return to form
BEN Simmons understands the criticism he receives but is determined to fight through his comeback struggles amid his Brooklyn Nets teammates holding a meeting to question his commitment to the team.
It comes as Boomers coach Brian Goorjian has revealed he wouldn’t have selected a vulnerable Simmons for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics if the Melbourne-born star was his son.
The polarising Aussie opted out of Australia’s Olympic campaign to focus on skills development following a poor playoff campaign for the 76ers, which led to a bitter trade standoff and the guard spending a season on the sidelines.
Goorjian wanted to select Simmons but he understood that he wasn’t in the right headspace.
“What he went through, if that was my son, I wouldn’t have put him in the Boomers and thrown him in there after that finish at Philadelphia,” Goorjian said. “Again, it is his decision, but my thought process, I totally got it.
“He has had injury, the bad finish with Philadelphia, and the way forward was about how he went about it.
“He had to organise and get himself right.
“He has got to get himself healthy and get himself playing well.
“And really, he did the right thing by the Boomers.”
Goorjian says Simmons will be a “welcomed” addition and a “big piece” to the Boomers program when he is ready and healthy.
The Nets star recently declared he wanted to represent Australia at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Goorjian also left the door open for Simmons to play for the Boomers at next year’s World Cup. “The great thing about sport is that it’s visual, so it’s like: what is he (Ben) playing like at the end of this (NBA) season?” he said.
“Because right now, and everyone is talking about it, he is not Ben Simmons yet. And when he is Ben Simmons, he is a dominant player in the NBA and internationally.”