Going into this season, Ben Simmons was viewed as an afterthought.
After all, in two previous seasons with the Brooklyn Nets, the former #1 overall pick had played sparingly. He had played just 54 of a possible 164 regular season games. Marked by injuries and questions about his desire to play, it seemed like it was just a matter of waiting out his contract and moving on.
In eight games this season, however, Simmons has looked good.
Not only that, he’s provided a much-needed sparkplug off the bench. So far this year, the Australian forward has averaged 6.1 points per game with a 62.2 FG%. He’s also averaged 7.1 Assists per game and just about six rebounds per contest. This, while coming off one of the best performances of his Brooklyn tenure. In the Nets’ 107-105 win over the New Orleans Pelicans, Simmons came off the bench and was tremendous.
He finished the game with six points, five boards, and an impressive 12 assists. In just the first half, Simmons ended up being involved in 30 of the Nets’ 54 points. While he wasn’t as effective in the second half, when he’s in the game, he’s able to make his teammates better. His confidence in distributing the basketball is allowing others to be more aggressive in getting open for shots.
Simmons is also playing with a chip on his shoulder.
He has a lot to prove to not just himself, but to the rest of the NBA that he’s still an effective player on the court. Fans are starting to debate about the Nets potentially keeping him beyond this season. While Simmons deserves credit for his play, there’s another person that should be recognized.
Jordi Fernandez’ Impact on Simmons
Head coach Jordi Fernandez continues to make his mark in Brooklyn.
Simmons is just another player on this team who has bought into Fernandez’s coaching style. He’s putting Simmons in a position where he feels comfortable. The comfortability is playing good defense, getting out on the break, and distributing the basketball. Not only that, but Fernandez is pushing Simmons to be more aggressive and take more shots. This shows the confidence Fernandez has in Simmons and the desire to help him become a better player.
Having the 28-year-old come off the bench gives the veterans a blow while providing a spark on both ends of the floor. You could certainly make a case for Simmons to start, but his role now seems to be perfect for this Brooklyn team. The hope is that he continues to thrive in this part of the team and becomes a long-term fit in Brooklyn.
It looks like Simmons is finally moving on from the past few disastrous seasons. This is true for both on and off the court. He looks relaxed, he looks confident, and most importantly, he still has talent. Only time will tell if he can keep this up, but this version of Ben Simmons is one that Nets fans can enjoy watching.
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