Nets' Jared Dudley Says Ben Simmons Is 'Average' When Playing in Halfcourt Offense

Jared Dudley was big in helping the Nets win Game 1 of this first-round series, but he sat out Game 2 due to injury.

If you needed any more of a reason to watch the first-round series between the Nets and 76ers, Jared Dudley provided it on Wednesday.

While speaking with reporters, the Nets veteran discussed 76ers point guard Ben Simmons and provided his opinion of the 2019 All-Star.

"Ben Simmons is a great player in transition," Dudley said according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. "And once you get him into halfcourt, he's average."

Simmons, though, doesn’t take much stock in Dudley’s criticism. Ask Thursday for his thoughts on the comments, Simmons said simply “That’s coming from Jared Dudley.”

Despite Simmons's many accolades in his short career, including winning the 2018 Rookie of the Year, the second-year star's refusal to take jump shots gives this idea much more credence than his stat lines would suggest. Simmons averaged 16.9 points, 8.8 rebounds and 7.7 assists on the season while shooting 56.3% from the field, but he's notoriously bad for floor spacing because defenses just pack the paint and play off of him when he has the ball, daring him to shoot from distance.

And considering the success Dudley had on Simmons individually in the lone game he's played in this series, the assessment makes even more sense from his mouth.

The Nets took Game 1 of the series in Philadelphia, but without Dudley, they were blown out in Game 2.

The series heads to Brooklyn for Game 3, which will take place Thursday at 8 p.m.