An underfire Ben Simmons had a strong message coming his way from his teammate Kyrie Irving after his dismal outing in the Brooklyn Nets’ 109-98 loss to the Boston Celtics.
The guard went scoreless against Boston, his second naught this season, and Irving had a motivating message, but also subtly threw down the gauntlet by asking Simmons to be more aggressive in his approach.
Speaking to the media in the aftermath of the loss, Irving had a simple, but strong piece of advice for Simmons. Per Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News:
”He’s just gotta be himself. We’re not gonna put too much pressure on him. We’re not gonna let this one particular game or any other games where he scored eight points, four points, it doesn’t matter. It’s all on us as a team to collectively put points on the board, and when he gets his opportunities, we just want him to be aggressive.”
With Kevin Durant out with an injury, the onus is on Irving and Simmons to deliver and build on the 12-win streak that took them to second place in the East with a 27-14 record.
Ben Simmons Reflects On His Disappointing Performance Against The Boston Celtics
On his part, Simmons knew that his scoreless night was one of the factors behind the stinging loss. And he spoke about the areas he needed to improve.
The Aussie acknowledged that he was giving up the ball away too easily and asserted that he had to be aggressive, echoing Irving’s thoughts. Per Clutch Points:
“I think it starts with being aggressive knowing that my team needs that. I think I’m giving the ball up way too many times when I know who I am. I know I need to get to the rim and get buckets.”
Simmons has had a forgettable season so far averaging just 7.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 6.2 assists — his lowest since his 2017-18 season with Philadelphia. But with the Nets going 2-2 in their last four games after their dominating run, the guard will be expected to contribute heavily in Durant’s absence.
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