Spencer Dinwiddie on Ben Simmons: 'We need him to be an All-NBA, All-Defensive Team, All-Star-level guy for us to be good'

You’re not going to ride off into the sunset. It’s too early for that. How long do you want to play in the NBA? Spencer Dinwiddie: I don’t know. I figured my body would tell me. I’ve been pretty fortunate to have, in my opinion, one of the best work ethics in the game and be diligent on my diet, recovery, and all that stuff. In a lot of ways, I feel better than I did when I was younger. It’s crazy to think that injuries can make you reset and refocus. Last year, I was dunking on Giannis, Brook Lopez and Rudy Gobert. These are things you probably thought I wouldn’t have done when I was in Brooklyn the first time when I was 25 or whatever. It’s been fun to age backward a bit. As far as retiring, I’d say that conversation has more of an understanding that my contract is over, and I’m about to have another kid, so f*** it. -via HoopsHype / October 25, 2023

What are your plans when you retire? Would you like to coach or be an executive? Spencer Dinwiddie: Hell no. It’s over. I’m telling you right now. Calaxy has a nine-figure valuation right now. If in the next cycle it can reach 10 figures, you’re not going to hear from me. I promise you. That’s my little baby. That thing hits 10 figures, along with some of the other stuff, you’re not going to hear from me. I’m retiring, and I’m going to be a dad. I’ll watch games. Of course, I love the game, but I’m not working in basketball. This s*** is too stressful, and there’s too much politics and s***. I don’t like any of that. -via HoopsHype / October 25, 2023

The Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden era was arguably the greatest “What if?” Why do you think that trio didn’t win besides injuries? Spencer Dinwiddie: That’s why you roll the ball out and play. I firmly believe it was just injuries and timing. Then, it came down to contractual stuff and people wanting the contracts they wanted and all that type of stuff. That’s the business of basketball. If all of them were locked in for four years and couldn’t go anywhere or had an option to do that, I feel like they would’ve figured it out. There’s no way they couldn’t have. There was too much talent. -via HoopsHype / October 25, 2023

Ben Simmons recently did an interview with Australian reporter Brad Blanks and he had this to say about his leadership performance: “I think being a leader is one of those things where you can lead in many different ways. I think, for me, I try to lead by example. I’ve had the opportunity now to go into this team (the Nets) and do that. So, I’ve been blessed with that opportunity and I think I’ve been a great leader so far.” -via Nets Wire / October 23, 2023

Ben Simmons has claimed ahead of the Nets’ regular season that he will be “better” than his former All-Star self. The Nets are starting to see progress. On Saturday, Lonnie Walker IV said Simmons has been getting back to his old form, doing “a lot of things he hasn’t done in the last two years.” “His offensive side is going to come, but his defensive energy has been amazing.” Walker added. “His ability to pass is one of the best attributes in my opinion. He sees the floor. He sees everybody and it can be very dangerous to stop what he does.” -via New York Post / October 22, 2023

“I was pushing through that, so I’m not really worried about the slander,” Simmons said. “Obviously, it gets frustrating when you’ve got to listen to it all the time, when you’re not able to play your best and you’re playing injured. That’s part of it. “At the same time, I’m one of those guys who wants to come out and perform and show I can do what I love to do at a high level. So I’m enjoying just being out here, putting on the show and trying to get better with these guys.” -via New York Post / October 20, 2023