Brooklyn Nets: Ben Simmons’ downfall has been startling to witness

How has that one play affected Ben Simmons’ play this season for the Brooklyn Nets?

In retrospect, it’s hard to recall a sports career that turned so dramatically on one play. You can think of placekickers that shanked a winning field goal or relief pitchers that gave up a big home run, but kickers and relievers are seldom thought of as elite stars in their league.

The most famous reliever who ever gave up a series-changing home run was Dennis Eckersley, who gave up the famous Kirk Gibson homer in the 1988 World Series. Eckersley finished in the top five in Cy Young voting in three of the next four seasons, so it’s tough to make a case that the home run affected him.

There’s a reason for that. You don’t get to the level of an Eckersley if failure bothers you. Generally, you don’t even get to the level of what Ben Simmons was before the non-dunk if failure bothers you or if it even scares you. That’s what’s so odd about Simmons. He had his limitations, but he had carved out a career that was on track for the Hall of Fame by accepting those limitations and playing at an elite level anyway.

Now, it’s tough to imagine that ever happening again. Even if Simmons recovers fully from the knee and back issues that have almost been a sideshow to his other dramas, his best role is probably as a small-ball center surrounded by four shooters, similar to Draymond Green.

The Nets certainly have the shooters to make that work. But Simmons hasn’t shown the ability to play interior defense well enough to make that feasible so far. Maybe things will be different when he gets healthy and comfortable in a different environment. He is still just 26 years old, after all.

In the meantime, the Nets are on the hook for about $114 million for Simmons over the next three years. That likely makes him untradeable, and Kyrie Irving gets more untradeable every time he tweets, which means the Nets are left to hope that the old Ben Simmons is still somewhere, waiting to appear.