On Thursday, in their first game since Kevin Durant injured his knee, the Nets fell to Boston by a score of 109-98. In some ways, Ben Simmons was the most effective player on the court for the Nets, racking up 13 assists and nine rebounds while being the only Brooklyn player to register a positive on-court rating (plus-10). However, he also went scoreless on the night, attempting just three field goals.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Simmons admitted he was probably looking to pass too often, acknowledging that he needs to make it more of a priority to “get myself going,” per Nick Friedell of ESPN.
“Being assertive, being aggressive and knowing that my team needs that,” Simmons said when asked what his team needs from him while Durant is out. “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, get buckets. And that’s also going to help my teammates get them going.”
Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn, who is another one of just 18 players in NBA history to hand out at least 13 assists in a game without scoring a point, wasn’t bothered by Simmons’ performance, suggesting that the team needs him to compensate for Durant’s absence more on the other end of the court.
“My thing is going to be on the defensive end with Ben, the impact that he has to have without Kevin on the floor,” Vaughn said. “… Ben’s got to be able to protect the rim. Ben’s got to be able to be a force for us on the defensive end of the floor, so that we can play small, play three guards out there, so we can have shooting around.”
Here’s more from around the Atlantic:
- Jaylen Brown isn’t the only Celtics star battling an injury — forward Jayson Tatum is dealing with issues affecting his thumb, ring finger, and wrist, but says he intends to continue playing through those ailments, per Jay King of The Athletic (Twitter link).
- In his latest mailbag for The Philadelphia Inquirer, Keith Pompey explores a handful of Sixers-related topics, including the team’s biggest need at the trade deadline and whether De’Anthony Melton could replace P.J. Tucker in the starting lineup. Pompey believes Philadelphia could use a reliable backup point guard and a big, physical center to back up Joel Embiid, and says he doesn’t expect Tucker to be removed from the starting five.
- Jalen Brunson has only been with the Knicks for about six months, but it’s clear that they’re already his team, according to Ian O’Connor of The New York Post, who says Brunson is the best player on the roster and “it isn’t close.” The point guard has been at his best since returning from a recent three-game injury absence, averaging 33.3 PPG on .522/.500/.809 shooting in his last six contests, five of which were Knicks wins.
Simmons has been trying to get himself going offensively since he was drafted
Lol my boy u are not good at watching basketball
Are you insinuating that 7.5 points a game is adequate?
I’m pretty sure he’s averaging twice that since he was drafted. But what I was insinuating is the same thing ive told u guys many times before, watching the actual games will give you a better understanding of how good these guys/these teams/these coaches are than just reading the stats. Especially a guy like Ben Simmons
Simmons is a horrible scorer, especially recently. This is not debatable. Since November 27th, Simmons has made one free throw. That’s 16 games of heavy minutes and he’s made one free throw. You do not even need to watch him play to know that he is avoiding contact and avoiding shooting.
Offense is about much more than just scoring, especially when you’re the pg. And he’s obv not a horrible scorer lol he’s over 58% his yr, 56% for his career. Around 15/gm. But if you know anything about Ben Simmons as a basketball player you should know that he is extremely versatile & can help his team in many ways without scoring. You called out the random date of November 27th. What’s their record since then?
The guy doesn’t care and doesn’t try to score.
True
He is only playing for the paycheck
Which forward duo would you rather have if you could have them at the ages they were when they were teammates, Shawn Marion/Amar’e Stoudemire, Ben Simmons/Kevin Durant, Charles Barkley/Armen Gilliam, Cedric Maxwell/Larry Bird or Kawhi Leonard/Pascal Siakam? Rank a top3 if possible…
1. Barkley/Gilliam
2. Maxwell/Bird
3. Marion/Stoudemire
4. Simmons/Durant.
Why u got the Philly guys 1st? They played together in their prime but & were both extremely talented, esp Barkley, but they weren’t a great fit tbh & had less team success than the other 4…
Why do you always ask these multi-faceted questions and then fixate on one thing when people actually bother responding to you? Your air of superiority has a rank stench, my guy.
1. Maxwell/Bird
2. Barkley/Gilliam
3. Marion/Stoudemire
4. Simmons/Durant
Please never forget that Pascal & Kawhi dominated the league in their only season together… link to m.youtube.com
Pascal/Kawhi is very close with Simmons/Durant. #1 and #2 were easy for me. But ask me again tomorrow and I might switch #3, 4 and 5. Who do you rank #1 and #5?
1 is really tough but i prob go with 1Kawhi/Siakam, 2Bird/Conbread 3KD/Ben 4Amar’e/Matrix 5 would be Barkley & Gilliam for multiple reasons… I’m pretty sure they hated each other, they were both great players but both great at the same things mostly… KD/Ben have looked pretty great together so far & could move up depending on if that continues when KD returns from injury
No. You rank them.
#salty
#HimalayanPinkSalty
Forall those people including Knicks fans who said we overpaid for Jalen Brunson the joke is on you jack. This stud and smooth operator of a point God is worth every penny we have paid him and honestly this contract is looking like a steal. Jalen Brunson is playing at a All Star level and he is playing like a Top Five Point Guard. He should be sent to the All Star game and he could possibly win most improved player of the year. Jalen Brunson is that dude and he is the Engine that runs this team. He is a mini Hakeem the dream with his nasty footwork. My beloved NY Knicks finally got a true Point Guard and even The Stud we missed out on Donovan Mitchell tweeted that Jalen Brunson has been on . Without Jalen Brunson we wouldn’t be in the playoff conversation.
He is good and has strong leadership skills. But the huge void he fills for that team in that department says more about all the players they have employed in the past than it says about him. He seems like a bigger stud than he is in New York because of how poor the competition has been there for players to take a professional, hard working and determined approach to lift everyone around him to get the team to higher destinations.
A mini Hakeem? I get the sentiment, but again he only seems so huge because of how little came before him. This note isn’t to knock him as poor in anyway, but he is no Point God. Just pump the brakes on his legend a bit. I appreciate the excitement and enthusiasm for the guy. He’s got a lot of game. He’s not running away with awards or All star selections, but he’s earned respect. That’s a lot more than you can say for most Knicks of the past couple decades. This guy came to play, work, and lift his team. Shame there haven’t been more sturdy players like him.