ESPN on Simmons - It's hard to appreciate a great player on a bubble team

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as Wednesday night’s 94-83 loss at South Carolina proved, even when Simmons is aggressive, it still doesn’t guarantee a win for the Tigers or victory for fans who want to enjoy the Ben Simmons Experiment, which will end once he declares for the NBA draft in the coming months.

It’s not working. Everyone involved deserves more and better.

Sipping fine wine at a dive bar doesn’t make sense. But that’s how this season feels with Simmons. We have this incomparable 6-foot-10 athlete but it’s so hard to appreciate his abilities when he’s playing for a bubble team in the SEC.

Sure, he finished 9-for-15 (21 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals) in a road win over Auburn. Then he excelled in a 7-for-11 outing (16 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks) in a victory over Mississippi State on Saturday.

And after a rough first half in Wednesday’s game -- a loss that squandered the Tigers’ chance to hold onto sole possession of first place in the SEC -- Simmons unveiled some of his unique gifts. He played point guard and helped the Tigers overcome a seven-point deficit in the second half and the tie the game with just under 11 minutes to play. He slashed. He made key defensive stops, and a few ill-advised choices on defense, too. He dunked. He maneuvered however and wherever he wanted despite South Carolina’s constant doubles.

After he picked off an inbounds pass and got fouled on the other end, Simmons slammed after the whistle and stared at the South Carolina crowd. In a dunk earlier that half, he cut through the lane and flexed after the flush.

He recorded 20 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 blocks Wednesday night.

Still, another loss and now a three-way tie atop the SEC (Kentucky, LSU, South Carolina).

And it feels like a waste at this point.

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