The Brooklyn Nets are a wildcard this season. They have the talent to win a championship handily, but they can also implode during the season. Their best players barring Kevin Durant, are a little hard to predict, and that makes it hard to gauge how the team will do overall.
Ben Simmons has an ideal setup around him with the Nets. Nic Claxton is a serviceable big, and the Nets are filled with elite shooters that he can find on his drives. If he gets it together, the Australian could have his best NBA season yet in 2022-23. But considering how much he has struggled with health and other issues recently, the Nets will have to make him feel like he’s fitting in.
There are always questions and comments about Simmons’ shooting, he’s hearing about his lack of shooting consistently. Simmons has been getting trolled as recently as Tuesday. So the question remains how the Nets will keep him confident and engaged throughout the season, Kevin Durant has some ideas on that front.
Kevin Durant Explained How The Brooklyn Nets Will Keep Ben Simmons Confident
The Philadelphia 76ers over the years tried many ways to keep Ben Simmons engaged on offense. On defense, he can be an anchor by himself, but his lack of shooting ability makes him a bit of a question mark on the other end. And Kevin Durant had a very straightforward answer to how he sees it, explaining that the team will simply trust Ben to be aggressive.
KD on how to keep Ben Simmons confident: "Trust in him, pass him the ball, tell him be aggressive…(But) Im not here to babysit anybody. Ben knows that. If he’s got a time to be aggressive go be aggressive. Who gives a sh1t if you miss it? We like you being aggressive." #Nets
— Brian Lewis (@NYPost_Lewis) October 11, 2022
“Trust in him, pass him the ball, tell him be aggressive…(But) I’m not here to babysit anybody. Ben knows that. If he’s got a time to be aggressive, go be aggressive. Who gives a sh*t if you miss it? We like you being aggressive.”
This sounds like an excellent plan, but it’s not one that hasn’t been tried before. The Sixers were very clear, especially with Doc Rivers, about letting Ben be Ben, but the story ended poorly regardless. Brooklyn could be different if Simmons has matured and learned from the past, though.
In any case, KD has made it clear that he won’t be there to hold Simmons’ hand during the process. Having greatness around him should help the former All-Star elevate his game even without too much help. If Ben Simmons can be the best version of himself, the rest of the league better watch out for the Nets.
