Ben Simmons had his best game since joining the Nets on Thursday in Portland, putting up a season-high 15 points and 13 rebounds to go along with seven assists in 32 minutes off the bench. He was 6-of-6 from the floor, 3-of-4 from the foul line, and had a plus-13 rating in a game Brooklyn won by two points, earning praise from his superstar teammate in the process.
“Incredible,” Kevin Durant said of Simmons’ performance, according to Nick Friedell of ESPN. “I’m just happy for him because he’s been trying to get his form back, trying to figure his rhythm out. Tonight I think he did a good job just talking up, commanding the offense, commanding the team on the defensive side of the ball. He was incredible tonight. So we’re going to keep building on that and hopefully we’re able to get this next one, but he controlled the game and was able to get us back into it.”
As we relayed earlier in the week, Simmons’ inconsistent availability and play so far this fall had led to some frustration within the Nets’ organization, but his last two games have arguably been his best of the season. Simmons, who has talked about needing some time to get back to full strength following back surgery in the spring and a nagging knee issue this season, is encouraged by the progress he’s making.
“I’m coming,” Simmons said. “I’m getting there, man. It’s taking a little bit of time, but I got my own back. My teammates got my back, my coaches.”
Here’s more on the Nets:
- Simmons probably needs to be moved back into the starting lineup in order to maximize his potential, but doing so would mean pairing him with Nic Claxton, another non-shooter, notes Brian Lewis of The New York Post (subscription required). Claxton is having a breakout year in his own right and doesn’t deserve to be demoted, so new head coach Jacque Vaughn will have to determine how best to deploy the duo. “The analytics spoke to us, and (the numbers said) the spacing just isn’t as good (when they play together) as when they’re separated,” Vaughn said. “So we have to figure out some solutions that way, because defensively if we can get Kevin and Nic and Ben on the floor at the same time, that’s a pretty big group with Royce (O’Neale) also. That’s a lot of versatility, so we’re gonna continue to work through it. We saw (Thursday) there was some success, and we’ll continue to learn about it.”
- Kyrie Irving will have some adjustments to make when he returns from his eight-game suspension on Sunday, according to Lewis at The New York Post. As Lewis writes, Vaughn has preached a defensive-minded, team-first dynamic since taking over for Steve Nash and Brooklyn has responded by posting a 106.3 defensive rating during Irving’s absence, the NBA’s third-best mark during that stretch. Prior to Irving’s suspension, the Nets had a league-worst 118.3 defensive rating.
- John Hollinger and Alex Schiffer of The Athletic weigh and debate various trade options for the Nets, with Hollinger ultimately concluding that the best approach for the club may be to simply play more games and “hope somebody’s trade value increases.”
- Mark W. Sanchez of The New York Post (subscription required) makes a case for why the Nets shouldn’t consider blowing up their roster this season, arguing that doing so would make a bad situation worse.
I agree with the last statement. Blowing up the team now could make a bad situation worse. The only big trade I could see working financially would be Kyrie and Seth for Russ, but it’s hard to see it happening and I’m not sure that would be completely blowing up the team since the Nets have been a better defensive team without Kyrie and Curry and Harris are redundant. When Warren is healthy, he’ll need PT as well.
GSW gets:
Durant
Beverly
LAL gets:
Klay
Simmons
BKN gets:
3 1st round picks (GSW)
Wiseman
Westbrook
Troy Brown
2 2nd rnd picks (LAL)
checks out on trade machine
Looks like a huge, chaotic blockbuster. I’m here for it, sign me up.
And hopefully gsw would tell Bev to stay home… check’s in the mail
Hope someone’s trade value increases?? Mills and Sharpe were on the verge of being traded to the Warriors the night the Nets played the Kings.
Everytime you see a team lose focus like that it’s always on the road. The specter of not getting back close enough to home to get ones stuff scatters the teams mindset.
Other than Crowder at least one other legit vet in the west was involved.
To many people to choose from or say where they were going.
DOG
Irving when playing provides more value to the Nets than the trade value the sports media will allow this season. If a good team wants to gamble on him for his play, they won’t because of the negative media, and negative effect it could have on other players. It could forseeably upset team chemistry. I see no other way than for the Nets to keep him, and play him as much as possible this season. Make a move in the off-season. The other guys on the team are open season. KD needs a solid back-up
I think Vaughn will get this us vs them to ake them successful. Hopefully Kyrie will let basketball doing the talking for him. He was treated wrong.
Unless that back is worse than we know. Ben at 25 is going to be himself at some point. It’s called getting back in gm shape. You don’t just walk in after almost two yrs. And play like you never left. Add to the mix a new team and system. Plus all the BS going on with Nets and him. He’ll be ok. I’ll take him on Knicks in a NYmin.
Simmons was definitely motivated the other night. But Yuta Watanabe hitting 5 of 7 threes was the difference.