Mikal Bridges sheds light on relationship with Ben Simmons

Ben Simmons has gone from an All-NBA talent to an enigmatic afterthought in just a couple of seasons.

The Brooklyn Nets point forward is a three-time All-Star who was a Defensive Player of the Year runner-up in the 2020-21 season. At 27 years old, Simmons is at the age when most NBA stars are just beginning to enter their prime years.

However, Simmons is coming off the worst season of his career. He averaged career lows across the board: 6.9 points, 6.3 rebounds and 6.1 assists in just 42 games played. He also shot a brutal 43.9% from the free throw line.

After his lackluster campaign, Nets were reportedly dangling Simmons as a trade piece this offseason.

Despite Simmons’ downturn over the last two seasons, Nets teammate Mikal Bridges has “big confidence” in his Australian ally. Bridges was asked about Simmons during a recent appearance on “Podcast P with Paul George.” The Villanova alum stated that Simmons is slowly getting back to form, both physically and mentally.

Bridges also shared some details on how the former Sixer has been interacting with the rest of the team.

“F–ks with all of us, like we’re close,” said Bridges. “He’s the one talking in the chat all the time and we all f–k with him. Obviously, we want him to score. But we ain’t [sic] pressed about it.”