The three-time All-Star is trying to get back on track for the Brooklyn Nets after missing all last season due to injury, and head coach Steve Nash says he hopes Ben Simmons rediscovers what made him love the game in the first place.
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As the Nets struggle to a 1-3 start, Simmons has not topped seven points in each of Brooklyn’s first four games. On Wednesday night, the Nets lost 110-99 to the Milwaukee Bucks, and he contributed 4 points, nine assists, and five rebounds in 28 minutes.
As the Nets strive to compete for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, they are placing a lot of their hopes on Simmons having a speedy recovery from back surgery. They traded 10-time All-Star James Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers for Simmons at last year’s trade deadline.
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Nash stated before Wednesday’s game that he and Ben strive daily to restore the player’s excitement on the court. Simmons, the 2016 draft’s first overall pick, claims to improve with each game he plays. But, unfortunately, his numbers don’t show that to be the case.
He’s been contributing on all court ends, averaging 5.3 points, 7.5 dimes, and 5.8 boards per game. However, two of Brooklyn’s three opening games saw him sent to the bench due to foul trouble. On Thursday, the Nets will play the Dallas Mavericks on the opening of four consecutive home games.
After the game against the Bucks, Simmons said, “I feel each game I’m developing a little bit in terms of my aggressiveness and intensity.”
According to Nash, all he wants to see from Simmons is an intense, rapid, and aggressive performance. The trainer has assured Simmons that his blunders in the early stages of his comeback are of no concern to him so long as he is playing with energy.
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-->Simmons had been out of action since the 76ers’ June 2021 Eastern Conference semi-final loss to the Atlanta Hawks. Before being traded to the Brooklyn Nets, he was dealing with mental health issues, which may have contributed to his decision to sit out the 2016–17 season.
