Regardless of his poor shooting, Ben Simmons is strongly praised for his defense, playmaking, and rebounding. This is what makes him a suitable fit on the Brooklyn Nets alongside players like Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Although he hasn’t suited up for the Nets, the potential of the team to win it all seems really high.

In light of the potential present in the Nets’ roster, many have compared the team to the Lakers that featured Kobe Bryant, Metta-Sandiford Artest, Pau Gasol, and others. One angle of similarity is Simmons’ defensive ability. This has led to Simmons being compared to Artest. Although both are strong defensive players, Artest himself had a different opinion. He claimed that Simmons would become better than him.

Metta Sandiford-Artest on Ben Simmons

Although Brandon Robinson stated that Simmons and Artest were similar defensively, Artest explained that the comparison was unfair.

“It’s not fair to compare Ben Simmons to me. His body of work is going to be way better than my body of work,” said Artest.

“I wasn’t consistent. At 23 years old, a lot of people were doing what I was doing From 24-26, I failed to add on to the body of work,” he added.

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Clearly, Artest believes in Simmons. Moreover, he even stated that Simmons’ ceiling can become a much better player than him.

Comparing Artest and Simmons

Artest has always been known for his defense. In fact, he proved to be the key piece that the Lakers need to win the 2010 NBA title. His physicality and tenacity were exactly what Kobe and his Lakers needed. Over the duration of his NBA career, Artest was part of the All-Rookie team and the All-NBA Team. In fact, he was also a part of the All-Defensive team on 4 occasions. He clearly was an accomplished player in the league and a valuable asset to any team.

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Simmons, like Artest, is one of the league star players. Despite not having a solid jump shot, Simmons brings his confidence in other areas of the game. His rebounding, playmaking, and offensive transition scoring are top-notch. Moreover, he is also a great defender. He was part of the All-NBA team, All-Rookie team, and All-Defensive team.

Additionally, he also led the league in steals during the 2019-20 season. Clearly, the Nets have a strong player in their hands. Alongside Kyrie and KD, Simmons can be the key piece to wreak havoc. The franchise has every chance to win the title this season.