The 22nd pick out of Boston College in the 2007 draft, Jared Dudley has never been talked about this much in his career.
After the first two games in the Nets series with the 76ers, tied 1-1, Dudley made headlines by calling out former Rookie of the Year* Ben Simmons.
“I think that Ben Simmons is a great player in transition. Once you slow him up in the halfcourt, I think he’s average when it comes to that” Dudley said.
The national media capitalized on this statement, ignoring the rest of the quote.
“He’s a player that, when he picks up speed he’s a load, so you’re going to have two guys with him. So for him it’s just take away his easy baskets. If you’re in a bad way, foul him. Make him make free throws. If he’s 4-for-4, keep fouling him. The odds tell you what his percentages are on free throws. But someone like that, you gotta stop him in transition.”
Ben Simmons brushed off the remark, saying, “It’s coming from Jared Dudley, c’mon.”
Dudley is not alone in this sentiment. Richard Jefferson responded to the drama on SiriusXM NBA Radio, saying, “No, no, Ben, that’s coming from the entire NBA. That’s where that’s coming from. The entire NBA thinks that.”
Jefferson continued, “… he’s not that good in the half court, right? That’s just a fact. I’m not saying he’s a liability or any of these things, but he is excellent – excellent – in the open court. He is excellent in transition; one of the best in the NBA.”
“In the half court with 12 seconds to go? I don’t necessarily think that I would want the ball in his hands. He doesn’t want to shoot free throws, he doesn’t want to do that.”
Dudley is a 12-year NBA vet, offering his opinion on a young player. An opinion that 17-year NBA vet Jefferson agreed with and stated is universal.
Jared Dudley has played 847 games in the NBA, starting 285. Over that time, he’s averaged:
23.2 MPG, 7.7 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 1.6 APG, and 0.8 SPG, while averaging a .465 FG%, .392 3P%, and .732 FT%.
Ben Simmons has started all 160 games he’s played in the NBA. Over that time, he’s averaged:
34 MPG, 16.4 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 7.9 APG, and 1.6 SPG, while averaging a .554 FG%, .000 3P%, and .583 FT%.
The numbers clearly show that there are a lot of areas where Simmons’ game is elite. But the two numbers that stand out are .583 FT% and .000 3P%. It’s an area of his game that’s not even good enough to qualify as average.
With the series tied 1-1, Dudley made the comments about Simmons that some found to be controversial. I saw a player who was looking to fire up his team, while maybe getting in a rival player’s head. I saw a player who relished the fact that he’s in the playoffs, despite the Nets not having the talent to actually compete for a championship.
Ben Simmons responded in game 3 with a huge game.
In game 4, Dudley rushed over to push Embiid for what he saw as a hard foul on his teammate, which some (including the refs) found to be excessive. I saw a player that I’d want to play with. I saw a guy who’s going to have your back.
The 76ers beat the Nets 4-1.
The series will be remembered for the Jared Dudley/Ben Simmons beef, but if you’re looking for a villain Jared Dudley isn’t it.
Dudley isn’t a player who’s going to fill up the stat sheet. But Dudley will give his team hustle, toughness, intensity, heart, and grit. In an era where it seems like every player wants to be the one scoring, we should be standing up for career grinders like Dudley.