In the offseason, Chris Paul, the LA Clippers' backup point guard before a national headline-making dismissal, was signed in mid-July. But, before Paul, Ben Simmons was the facilitator of the second unit. Despite supplying playmaking and defense, the Clippers walked away from him with their own free will, and months later, he is still a free agent, vindicating LA for taking a firm stand.
Paul has more experience, but Simmons was a first-overall pick at the start of his career and offers much more as a contributor to the Clippers. He was a point-forward last season, adapted into Tyronn Lue’s system, and handled playoff adversity well.
Additionally, it is not like Simmons had high financial demands. He took the discounted veteran minimum and would have done so again, as he was content to progress his career from there.
However, it is December, and the rest of the NBA’s 29 teams passed on Simmons. This justifies the Clippers’ thinking that right now, with a concerning injury history and an unfit play-style in the pace-heavy day and age, the LSU product has not merited a guaranteed roster spot.
The LA Clippers need a point guard, and they still will not turn to Ben Simmons
Ben Simmons was not a great scorer, but he could rack up assists. He had 56 in a half-season with the LA Clippers, and in the first half of 2024-25, he recorded 229 for the Brooklyn Nets.
All in all, Simmons’ A-plus playmaking was his biggest strength. Yet the Clippers do not feel the need to sign him for the veteran minimum, even while James Harden is the last floor general on the team.
Why is that the case if LA’s undermanned, older roster could use the 29-year-old Simmons?
His low confidence was seamless to catch through pixels on a television screen, and just like LA, no coaching staff wanted to sound like a broken record towards Simmons by encouraging him to be aggressive. He has heard the same old phrases from the Philadelphia 76ers, Nets, and Clippers; nothing has changed. He prefers excessive passing.
That said, Simmons had a few good performances here and there, but a roster spot in the G-League or overseas could be his best next step. Leaping onto another team may be something he is not ready for, suggesting the Clippers took the right path by breaking away.