Ben Simmons: Kevin Garnett Sends Brutally Honest Message to Brooklyn Nets Star

• Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett has sent an honest message to Ben Simmons
• The Brooklyn Nets star's career has gone from promising to disappointing
• His numbers have dropped significantly and will need to put in more work to save his career

Ben Simmons's career is not going the way he expected. He has gone from a perennial All-Star to a role player in the NBA.

He came into the league as the No.1 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft with lofty expectations. However, he hasn't lived up to it. NBA Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett has sent a powerful message to the 26-year-old.

The Brooklyn Nets shut him down for the rest of the 2022/23 season last week due to a nerve impingement in his back.

He missed the whole of the 2021/22 season as he waited to be traded from the Philadelphia 76ers. He was then traded to the Nets before the February 2022 deadline, per ESPN.

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After returning to the court this season, his numbers went down drastically. He is logging in career lows in minutes (26.3). His points per game (6.9) have also gone down, so to his rebounds (6.3), assists (6.1), and free throw percentage (43.9).

Garnett's message to Simmons

Simmons has been heavily criticized since refusing to play last season and for his performances this season.

The 2004 MVP sent a powerful message to Simmons as his struggles continue. He was speaking on the latest episode of Ticket & The Truth (38:50 mark).

"I want you to go back and find your roots. I think he got another run in him, but it's gonna have to be Ben Simmons," Garnett said. "Not his mom, not none of this collective around him. It's gotta be him. I want to see dude get back to killing, man," via Bleacher Report.

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The LSU product will have plenty of time to recover from his back injury and perhaps work on his game more ahead of the 2023/24 season.

Simmons wants his ring back

Sports Brief earlier reported on Simmons sending a legal demand over the $1-mil diamond engagement ring he gave to Love Island presenter Maya Jama.

The NBA star allegedly popped the question in December 2021, but it led to nothing, as they terminated their romantic relationship almost exactly a year later.

Jama is reported to have not returned the engagement ring after the two went their separate ways, with the jewelry estimated at $800,000.