Despite having three of the most talented players in the league, the Brooklyn Nets are a team in full desperation mode to start the 2022-23 season. At just 1-3 on the season, with a tough slate of games on the schedule, the Nets have dug themselves a hole here in October.
At the center of it all is young star Ben Simmons, who is still trying to regain his prime form after missing over a year of action. In the game he has played so far, Simmons has been pretty awful, and the Nets have been even worse.
NBA Insider Drops Brutal Truth Bomb On Ben Simmons’ Return
Making an appearance on NBA Today, ESPN Insider/analyst Brian Windhorst gave the latest thinking of scouts on the Simmons saga and explained that the Nets need to make some serious changes if they hope to salvage this campaign.
“The scouts who have been dispatched to watch Ben Simmons closely, and there have been a lot early in this season, believe the reason that Ben Simmons doesn’t go aggressive isn’t because he’s afraid of missing the shot as much as he’s afraid of getting fouled. He has only taken 9 free throws the entire season so far, he has only made three of them… he’s not afraid necessarily of missing the shot. Another thing that has bothered scouts who have watched Ben Simmons play is his reaction to being in foul trouble. I’ve talked to scouts who have watched repeatedly as Ben Simmons gets into foul trouble and gets pulled out of the game and they believe he almost looks like he’s relieved to be coming out of the game at times. So I can understand why his teammates are already trying to be protective of him. But the big worry for the Nets is that Durant, Irving, and Simmons have played 77 minutes together so far this season and they’ve been outscored by 30 points.”
.@WindhorstESPN thinks there needs to be immediate change in Brooklyn 👀 pic.twitter.com/754ZU8qm4u
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) October 27, 2022
For Simmons, the big thing for him was his mental health, a problem he blamed for his struggles on the court and his breakup with the 76ers. But now that he’s back and in a situation that has catered to his every whim, Simmons is all out of excuses, and it seems the pressure is starting to weigh down on him.
The sad truth is, if Ben can’t snap out of it and regain his confidence, the Nets are never going to go anywhere in the East. By all means, Simmons’ shot is holding the entire team back.
