The Brooklyn Nets are one of the things that carry the most pressure ahead of the 2022-23 NBA season. The Brooklynites couldn’t win the championship last season, getting eliminated in the first round of the postseason at the hands of the Boston Celtics.
Now, they have renewed hopes after yet another tumultuous offseason. Kevin Durant is locked in again after the team failed to trade him, Kyrie Irving is staying put for at least one more year and Ben Simmons is good to go after missing the entire 2021-22 campaign between the Philadelphia 76ers and Nets.
While the first two are healthy and have the pace to compete, Simmons will need more time to find his pace and become that player that can help this squad win the NBA championship next year.
Steve Nash Asks People To Be Patient With Ben Simmons
Great as he is and can be, Simmons isn’t at the best level yet, and Steve Nash has asked people to be patient with the Australian point guard. Talking with reporters, Nash said that Simmons needs time and a lot of exercises on the court to reach the best level.
“I think for Ben a lot of it is not just the understanding, it’s the reps,” Nash said after Tuesday’s practice. “He hasn’t played for a long time. He’s coming off of back surgery, so I think there’s some periods of indecision and confidence that he has to gain from playing. All of us do. We can’t take that much time off, join a new group and just figure it out Day 1, so he needs time.”
The former NBA MVP added that the team must wait a little bit before seeing Simmons in his best form. He’s already shown what he can do on the court, and many believe he’s in a situation where he can thrive. Surrounded by shooters, Ben can do a lot of damage to rivals and create something interesting at Barclays Center.
“The No. 1 thing is support him, be here for him,” Nash said. “Give him belief. I think we all believe in him and we all think he’ll make a huge impact, it’s just we got to give him time. We got to be patient with him. We hope it comes quickly, but in the event that it doesn’t, we just got to work through it, and stay patient and give him that confidence, because it’s not easy. I can’t reiterate it enough.”
This has been considered an interesting idea for the Nets since Simmons landed from Philadelphia back in March. However, we’re yet to see how this new association will fare on the court. The Nets have plenty of interesting pieces on the roster and if their Big 3 really clicks, they could be a major problem for the rest of the league.
