Should the Miami Heat Sign Free Agent Ben Simmons?

Should the Miami Heat Sign Free Agent Ben Simmons?

[Music] Welcome back to the team to be Miami Heat podcast, your onestop shop for daily Miami Heat content. My name is Air. So, for today’s episode, I want to dive into a player that has been talked about, debated, and misunderstood free agent. And for this video, I want to talk about if the Miami Heat should or should not sign Ben Simmons. So, yeah, I know what you’re thinking. Ben Simmons is completely washed. He’s not the same player that he once was, and I know that it probably isn’t the greatest fit, honestly. And I don’t know how big of a role he can have on any team at this point in his career, but for this video, I want to talk about how the Miami Heat should honestly consider giving him a shot. I’m not saying we should sign him. Not saying it’s the best idea or best option, but he can potentially provide some value off the bench. So again, this is not trying to turn Ben Simmons into a star again. This is about just finding some value, filling needs that this Miami Heat roster still has and trying to maximize a former star player and provide him a role in a structured organization. So, Ben rookie of the year, he was a three-time all-star with the Philadelphia 76ers. He was playing great basketball along Joel Embiid, alongside of Joel Embiid, I should say. And this guy was supposed to be the next NBA superstar. This guy was a very good two-way player coming out the gate. And he was the rookie of the year, averaged 15.8 points per game, 8.2 assists, 8.1 rebounds, 1.7 steals, shot 54% from the field cuz obviously he only scored in the paint. Didn’t even shoot any three-pointers. and free throw percentage horrendous in his career. 56% but still almost averaging a triple double in his first four seasons age 21 through 24 with the Philadelphia 76ers. You know, year two became an all-star, averaged 17 points, almost nine rebounds, 7.7 assists, 1.4 steals. Like this good dude was a 6 foot10 point guard who was able to get to the free throw line, finish in the paint, but obviously set up his teammates. Really good passer, really good defender. And at age 25 in 2021, he basically had some sort of nerve issue or back injury and then he held out for that entire season. And basically his career has been over since that point. He went to the Brooklyn Nets for four seasons, played like hundred games total, which is insane. Across four years, points went from, you know, averaging 17 16 with the Sixers across four seasons, three all-stars, rookie of the year, to averaging 6.9, 6.1, 5, uh, zero, and 6.2 points per game. So, literally averaging five and a half points per game. and his rebounding went down, his assist went down as well. So, I don’t know what happened to this dude, honestly. Like, there’s got to be some psychological aspect to it. But honestly, Ben Simmons is a free agent right now. He signed with the LA Clippers last season. He played 18 games with them, 33 with the Nets, and this dude still has something left in the tank. And what it starts off with is his defense. like he showed um the possibility of being a good defender again last season in the 50 games that he did play across the Nets and the Clippers. There are things he does well still again that defense playmaking when he has the ball in his hands and rebounding. So at 6’10, he gives you elite size on the perimeter. He can guard one through four and in some lineups even switch on to small ball centers. The Miami Heat need a backup big. They need another playmaker and point guard. Like, yes, we have DaVon Mitchell off the bench. So, would it make sense having DaVon and him off the bench because they both Do they both honestly need the ball in their hands? Not Not necessarily, honestly. So, I think that could work theoretically. Um, or you start DaVon next to Tyler Hero and then you have Norm and Simmons coming off the bench. So, that could make sense. Who the hell knows? Miami has thrived having thrived on having versatile defenders in their lineups and Simmon fits right into that mold. So again, him coming off the bench gives you switchability, gives you size, gives you rebounding, gives you playmaking, gives you effort hopefully, and it gives you defensive IQ when he’s trying and that fits this Miami Heat blueprint. And with the playmaking ability though, he is a natural facilitator. We don’t really have any true point guard on this roster. We’ve seen how much Miami struggles offensively when the ball movement stalls, especially um when you have to force Tyler Herro into playing a point guard role or Terry Roier into a point guard role. Like that’s not good. And when they’re off the floor, then Simmons could push the pace. He can play transition basketball. He can help find cutters like Haimeh Hawk Po Larson. You have to pair him with Tyler Herro and Norm Powell to a certain degree. He needs three-point shooting around him. Here’s the only issue though, now that I’m making this video and thinking about it. Why would you want him on the team if you have Nico? You would rather develop Nico, give him an opportunity, let him come off the bench as like that sixth, seventh man, Nico that is, and be that point forward. The issue with Nico is he’s not as good of a rebounder. He is not as good of a playmaker in his career so far, his young career. And he’s not as good of a defender. He’s way better offensively. He could shoot the three. he could um get to the rim and he could shoot the mid-range better than than Ben. That’s the biggest thing right now that he has over Ben Simmons. But also, you don’t want to take away from his development because we’ve already shelved him for much of his early career. So, that’s one issue. But still adding him for the veteran minimum. Someone who can average six rebounds off the bench. Someone who can average five assists off the bench in limited minutes in like 15 minutes. Like give Nico 25 minutes. Give Ben Simmons 12. Give him 14 minutes to come in there as the backup big. Let Nico have the ball in his hands. Let Ben Simmons just play in the dunker spot. Let him be the guy who cuts. Let him be the guy who helps with rebounding. So it could work. But again, it’s a minimum deal. It doesn’t take a major hit to your cap. It’s a low-risk, high-f flyier that you can take on a former AllNBA talent who potentially has some stuff left in a tank. He’s 28 years old. Like, he’s still super young. So, can Coach Spo get the betterment of him? Can the team develop him into a role player that can help off the bench? We’ll see. I don’t think it’s the greatest fit, but again, you could use him as a small ball five or a point forward off the bench. You can surround him with shooters like Tyler Hero, Norm Pal. playing with Nico, add extra functional size. Like his job is simple. Defend, rebound, push in transition sometimes on ball. Like that could be a good fit for the Miami Heat. And we have a extra spot open. We do need a big and a point guard essentially. He could fill the need for both. We’ll see. I don’t think it’s the best fit, but maybe he embraces that role. Maybe the Miami Heat, they get a bargain out of this and coach Bo coaches him up and they roll the dice on Ben Simmons and he becomes a serviceable player. So, let me know in the comments below. Am I crazy? Like, do you think we should sign Ben Simmons? If you are new here, don’t forget to hit the subscribe button for more Miami Heat content. Thank you for watching and again, on to the next one.

Ben Simmons is officially a free agent, and while his offensive game is still a huge question mark, his elite defense, playmaking, and rebounding could be exactly what the Miami Heat need off the bench. In this video, we break down why the Heat should strongly consider signing Simmons, how he fits into Erik Spoelstra’s system, and what role he could thrive in alongside Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro. Could Miami be the team to revive Simmons’ career? Let’s talk about it.

#bensimmons #miamiheatnewstoday #nba #nbatrade #nbarumors #nbafreeagency #heat #miami #hoops #nbahighlights #nbaplayer #basketball #basketballplayer #basketballteam #sports #podcast #nbateam #kevinporterjr #lebronjames #losangeleslakers #clippers #patriley #bamadebayo #espn #podcast #erikspoelstra #patriley #76ers