Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons admits that the criticism he received from fans last season took its toll on him at times.
However, he says it also helped further motivate him as he entered offseason workouts.
"I feel like this summer I fell in love with the game again," Simmons told Rob Maaddi of The Associated Press. "I kind of got back to who I was and having fun with the game. I felt like the past season I lost that enjoyment side of it, but I feel like this summer has been huge for me."
Simmons felt he was reading too much of what was being said about him on social media and that it affected his play.
"I think sometimes you kind of get too deep into it where you listen to other people which should never be the thing you do unless they're giving you positive feedback or trying to help you get better because there's a lot of negativity out there," he said.
Simmons posted similar numbers to his rookie campaign in his second NBA season. He averaged 16.9 points, 8.8 boards, 7.7 assists, and 1.4 steals en route to his first All-Star appearance.
However, he struggled in the Sixers' second-round series loss against the Toronto Raptors, and his refusal to shoot from distance has drawn the ire of the club's fan base.
In July, Philadelphia locked up Simmons to a five-year, $170-million contract extension that will kick in for the 2020-21 season.
