Charles Barkley and ‘Inside the NBA’ crew sound off on Ben Simmons’ latest setback, Reggie Miller’s comments

Reggie Miller rarely shares inflammatory opinions, often preferring to shade on the positive side as an NBA analyst for Turner Sports.

But the NBA Hall of Famer and former Indiana Pacers star didn’t hold back when he learned Ben Simmons would not play in Game 4 of the Brooklyn Nets’ first-round NBA playoffs series. Exasperated, Miller said the former 76ers star had no competitive fire after Simmons failed to return from a back injury.

It was the latest in a series of setbacks for Simmons, a former Sixers star who was traded to Brooklyn on Feb. 10 and has not played since Game 7 of last year’s Eastern Conference semifinals against the Atlanta Hawks.

Miller was not the only Hall of Famer to sound alarm bells after Simmons did not return to the court, as the “Inside the NBA” crew backed up his words. Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley said Miller was absolutely right.

» READ MORE: Fred VanVleet to miss Game 5 vs. Sixers with left hip flexor strain

O’Neal called it a “punk move” for Simmons to back out after the Nets’ Saturday loss, which sent them to a 3-0 deficit.

“If you’re not ready to play, you would get more respect from the people if you just say you’re not ready to play,” O’Neal said. “Don’t be shooting, saying, ‘I’m coming back; I’m going to do this.’ That was a punk move.”

Barkley, a Sixers great, said it was clear Simmons wouldn’t return. He also drew a comparison to the Sixers’ series against the Raptors, pointing out Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes as a player who attempted to help his team despite suffering an ankle injury in Game 1.

With his team trailing 3-0, Barnes played in the Raptors’ 110-102 Game 4 win against the Sixers. While clearly bothered by the injury, Barnes came off the bench to play 26 minutes and produce six points and 11 rebounds.

“If you go back and look at that Toronto game we had Saturday, that boy who won Rookie of the Year was out there on one leg,” Barkley said. “He didn’t try to do anything. He was just like, ‘I got to try to help my team.’ ... He was just trying.”

Kenny Smith had the final word, and he shared a little more compassion for Simmons, who pointed to mental health issues as part of his holdout in Philly and has endured setbacks in Brooklyn. But Smith added that Simmons has displayed selfishness in the past year.

“At no point in this year have we seen him say, ‘I’m going to do this for someone other than myself,’” Smith said. “That’s what champions do. ... Every decision appears to be, ‘It’s my back, it’s my money, it’s my time.’ It’s never, ‘I’m going to do this for Brooklyn; I’m going to do this for Philly.’”