As tensions rise between Philadelphia 76ers All-Star swingman Ben Simmons and head coach Doc Rivers, time2play turned to body language expert Judi James to see if she could figure out what’s fuelling his estrangement from the team.
When analyzing clips of Simmons shooting, James explains:
“The missed shots look tragic and unexplainable. There are no outward or obvious signs of any reaction from him as he misses, which is unusual in itself. It might be natural for any sports person to show signs of anger, annoyance or that they are ‘beating themselves up’ internally after a missed shot but there are none from him and his approach doesn’t seem to change and neither, apparently, does his emotional state, with no obvious signs of anxiety like a rapid blink rate or breathing.
It might be that he has his own technique to self-motivate or to be resilient under pressure like this but then when one of his team-mates misses we can see him throw his hands into the air in a ritual of disappointment that he might also have been expected to use on himself.”
When looking at his behavior in these practices, James stated:
“Many of the ‘problem’ moments in Ben Simmons body language in these clips of his training look subtle enough to be potentially unimportant, but put into the context of a team scenario, where any fluctuations of mood or behavior will be magnified as they would in any animal grouping, it’s likely the ‘ripple effect’ would have been quite noticeable and even affecting to other members of the team.
There’s an ongoing synchronicity of crack sporting teams and anticipating and understanding each other’s non-verbal signals both on and off the court or pitch can be vital for success. When one team member begins to behave out of character it can throw all that synchronicity askew, so even behaviors like not joining in the group huddle can feel important.”
“There are moments when a very expressionless Simmons seems to be watching the play but not apparently engaging. His movements when he is playing don’t suggest the same hunger for the ball or speed as some of the other players but this might be because his role is normally less active and more about accuracy.
He looks deeply lost in thought as he watches some of the play here, holding a ball under one arm and then backing away after a few seconds.”
James continued, “In the huddle he walks at the back of the group and appears to be bouncing the ball to suggest he is ignoring the moment of group unity. Looking at the happy, engaged and excited expressions on the faces of the rest of the team the suggestion is that this is a very important psychological ritual for them and the touch traits suggest it is rapport-building and bonding.
Simmons not only ignores the huddle, he also walks out quickly as though not keen to engage at all. He was also spotted with a cell phone in his pocket, which again might imply a form of disconnection from the group, as though he has other conversations or connections on his mind.”
