The New York Knicks adding Ben Simmons is not the answer

New York Knicks: Ben Simmons’ flaws

The main reason why this entire Simmons saga exists is that he is a player whose skillset and playstyle calls for a very specific blueprint if he is to have success in the NBA free of the current criticism towards him.

Simmons’ best basketball has been on display when he is utilized as the primary playmaker and is surrounded by shooters. This is very much in the crux of the Giannis-oriented offense I referred to earlier. Simmons himself even made the connection recently when discussing how he feels he can be best utilized.

But, this has only been seen working for Simmons in the regular season. In the postseason, Simmons’ effectiveness in a major role has shown to be a huge detriment to his team.

The narrative goes that Simmons can be ignored out on the perimeter since he is zero threat off-ball and outside of the paint, allowing for constant double teams and extra pressure on the other four players Ben shares the court with. Sure, the Miami Heat once “built a wall” in the paint against Giannis to great success. But, the big difference between Giannis and Simmons is their ability to still be impactful in the face of opponent disrespect.

Giannis for one is at least somewhat of a threat to shoot. He can make about a third of his three’s which is enough to keep defenses honest at times. He is also sometimes incredibly willing to take those shots, and therefore he doesn’t clog the paint by forcing contested drives to the basket. Simmons on the other hand has an almost comical allergy to taking any shot further than 10 feet from the basket. You can legitimately play 5 on 4 if the ball is out of his hands as an opposing defense.

Also, Giannis is clearly a much more polished, aggressive, and taunting scorer just about anywhere inside of the arc. Simmons has the physical gifts to be a successful scorer, but a lack of drive holds him back from having a similar impact.

Do I really need to explain that there is an enormous gap in reality to how effective these two players are in these scenarios? Giannis just won a championship and Finals MVP averaging 35.2 PPG. Simmons has scored 9 or fewer points in a playoff game 9 times including the infamous 1 point on 0-4 shooting performance against the Boston Celtics in 2018. He has also only made it past the second round when playing fourth fiddle to Joel Embiid, Jimmy Butler, and Tobias Harris.

So, how does all of this affect the Knicks?

The theory, which is flimsy at best, goes that Simmons as an elite playmaker and ball-handler, and as someone who can occasionally punish defenses with his athleticism at the rim, can be the engine that runs a quality offense. He can easily make the right passes, so if his teammates can make the open looks Simmons supplies them, then that is a very difficult attack to stop.

Unfortunately, there is overwhelming evidence that shows that because Ben Simmons is a complete nonfactor off-ball and even on the ball outside of the paint, any offense with him in it can be easily exposed.

Would adding an All-NBA defender in Simmons be an excellent addition to a Knicks team that has shown it can be on its own elite defensively? Of course, the Knicks can certainly use more perimeter help and someone who can operate as a rover on that end.

The Knicks aren’t very good at rebounding. Simmons would help a bit in that regard. And for the final time, Simmons would obviously be a major upgrade in the playmaking and ball-handling department.

However, these things in which Simmons can contribute positively would lead to marginal improvement at best. At the end of the day, the Knicks need a big-time star, along with more consistent play from their role players, in order to take the next step as an organization.

If the day that the Knicks are contenders is to come, it won’t be because they trade for Simmons. While he is a nice player, just because Simmons is paid like he’s that guy doesn’t make him that guy. He would create more problems than he would fix.

Any deal involving Simmons is not worth it. The Knicks need to hold onto their assets and cap space with a much bigger move in mind.