In Brooklyn, young star Ben Simmons is still working his way back into peak form after missing the entire 2021-22 season. So when he suited up for his debut on Wednesday, fans knew not to expect too much from the 3x All-Star.
Still, they weren’t prepared for just how bad he would be. In 23 minutes of action, he put up just 4 points and fouled out of the game.
One could argue that the performance was to be expected for Simmons, who hasn’t played in over a year. But, after the game, Ben blamed his own mental state as the source of his bad play.
“So much going on — I think I was just too excited, honestly. But it was just great to be out there. As a first game obviously you want to win but we know the reasons we lost. It was multiple reasons we lost and those are things we can fix. We know that’s not us as a team. I think there’s a lot of jitters out there early on, but it was good to get that one out of the way.”
What Should Nets Fans Expect From Ben Simmons This Season?
Nobody really knows if or when Simmons will return to an elite level of play, but it’s a concern to be sure. And, to make matters worse for the Nets, they got completely dominated by the Pelicans in their first game, perhaps signaling that there are still some lingering side effects from this summer’s chaos.
As for Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, they are going to continue to stand by Simmons and do whatever they can to help bring out his best game on the floor.
“Just keep encouraging him and keep being good teammates,” said Durant. “He a veteran, he know we got a long season ahead of us. We got 81 more of these and there’s gonna be plenty of other games. We’re all going to have great games, it’s the nature of the job. It’s about bouncing back and coming to work tomorrow and figuring it out.”
“As we told him in the locker room, he’s a valuable piece for us and we need him out there. And fouling out is not an option,” Irving stated. “Playing aggressive is something that we want him to do, but we also want to play smart.”
As one of the best defenders, finishers, and playmakers in the league, Ben Simmons clearly has the talent to be that third star for the Nets, and his ascension could put them over the top as a team.
For now, though, he’s going to have to work to find his rhythm and re-discover his game.
