Ben Simmons is back on an NBA court and ready to prove all his doubters wrong in the 2022-23 season. Simmons last played basketball in the 2021 Playoffs, being eliminated by an underdog Atlanta Hawks team in the second round of the playoffs.
That elimination was blamed on Simmons by most fans, media, and even the coach of the team. This led to a protracted trade situation with Simmons, who refused to play until he was moved from Philly. He got his wish by being sent to the Brooklyn Nets for James Harden.
Simmons finally made his Nets debut in a 2022-23 preseason game against his old team, where he put in a strong shift in 19 minutes of action, sharing the court with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Fans are already commenting on how he looked upon returning, and there’s cautious optimism around him and the Nets, even though they lost the game decisively with a score of 127-108 in Philly’s favor.
Ben Simmons first game in Nets uniform:
6 PTS
4 REB
5 AST
1 STL
3-6 FG
0-2 FT
in 19 minutes. pic.twitter.com/89cKqr2wme
— StatMuse (@statmuse) October 4, 2022
Ben Simmons first time back at free throw line. Sixers fans in Brooklyn booing him. He misses both free throws pic.twitter.com/XolZr3C06J
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) October 4, 2022
first half takeaways:
1) Ben Simmons still defends like a menace
2) Majority of BKN’s half court sets were initiated w/Ben on ball
3) Ben in open court w/these weapons is scary
4) The FT stroke does not look any healthier
5) Tyrese Maxey might make the all-star team this season
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) October 4, 2022
That is good lmfao especially for preseason
— Jon-O (@Jon__O) October 4, 2022
holy mid 😭
— EliDropEmOff 🛸🌟🤞🏽 (@ykbeli) October 4, 2022
“0-2 FT” that’s my boy. Boy he hasn’t changed his bad habits hasn’t he.
— Big4horry (@B4horry) October 4, 2022
This proves the haters correct…
— MattieTheGhost (@GhostMattie) October 4, 2022
https://twitter.com/McTannerV1/status/1577100433264283650
Triple single king
— Ant (@InsaneKaine) October 4, 2022
no way people are calling this trash
— steelers hate page (@kludy43) October 4, 2022
https://twitter.com/gooodtimealex/status/1577101020173172736
People gonna hate but that’s not an awful statline
— JRich (@resignbertuzzi) October 4, 2022
Common draymond statline in 40 minutes. Idk why yall hating
— lol (@justaburnr) October 4, 2022
this not even a terrible stat line especially coming off an injury
— stewgod (@chiraqgoona) October 4, 2022
Simmons had a solid all-around performance but left room for a lot more to be desired. The fit with him, Durant, and Irving looks extremely encouraging, so the Nets will be happy to build that chemistry and help use Simmons the best they can, given his skill set.
Is Ben Simmons Going To Catapult The Nets Back Into Contention?
Ben Simmons might not have ever made it past the second round in his career, but he is here to enhance 2 former champions in Durant and Irving. Even if Simmons plays high-level defense and is the primary playmaker of the team, the Nets will look far more formidable than they did last season.
The scoring issue with Ben is continuing, with him missing free throws and air balling midranges, the Nets will look to either fix Ben’s shot or have him ween off it in the interest of getting others better opportunities. Open shots should never be passed up, so Simmons can build up his shooting confidence over the season.
The Nets have the pieces for success, but there’s been too much drama around their personnel this summer. All of that goes out the window if they can deliver winning basketball on the court, so that will be the goal for the team.
