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Ben Simmons’ reported decision to skip the Olympics appeared to irk former Australian team member Andrew Bogut.
Simmons’ Philadelphia 76ers were eliminated from the playoffs after losing in seven games to the Atlanta Hawks. Simmons was criticized after Game 7 for his poor performance and only managing five points in the series-deciding game. ESPN reported Simmons would skip the Olympics to work on his game.
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Bogut talked to Fox Sports Australia on Tuesday about Simmons reportedly deciding to skip the Games.
"It’s obviously disappointing. He’s an integral part in what the Boomers are trying to get to and would be, and he’s the best Australian-born NBA player in the world," Bogut said. "Am I surprised? No, definitely not. I had an inkling."
Bogut said he wasn’t criticizing Simmons for his decision not to play but was upset with wondering whether he was in or out.
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"I think there were perfect paths to pull out whether it was having a rough shooting series, or going all the way to a championship series and then there would have been rest. It’s his decision," he said.
"I’m not criticizing him for pulling out to want to better his game, but it’s more of the tease and allure of is he in or is he not."
Simmons did not have a great scoring performance in the final three games of the series against the Hawks. He scored eight points in Game 5, six points in Game 6 and five points in Game 7.
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He is a dual citizen of the U.S. and Australia and has been playing for Australia since he was 15. He skipped the 2016 Games in order to prepare for his rookie season in the NBA and said in 2017 he hoped to play in 2020.
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