Over the past few years, Ben Simmons has gone from an All-NBA talent to a player who has been forgettable, to say the least, as he has rarely seen the basketball floor for the Brooklyn Nets since being traded there by the Philadelphia 76ers.
However, this season, it appears that Simmons might be trying to get back to form as one of the best backcourt players in the league, as he’s averaging nearly a triple-double through the first three games of the season.
Heading into Wednesday’s matchup with the Miami Heat, head coach Erik Spoelstra talked about the impact that Simmons has on the Nets this season, via Erik Slater of ClutchPoints.
Erik Spoelstra emphasized the spacing Ben Simmons has created for Brooklyn with Nic Claxton out and Cam Thomas’ ability to take advantage of it:
“They’re playing fast… Without Claxton they’re playing smaller, a little bit more positionless, you don’t necessarily know who the… pic.twitter.com/jdLb4PLZCX
— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) November 1, 2023
The Nets have a unique opportunity to right the ship this season after parting ways with superstar Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving last year in trades with the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks.
Ironically, Simmons wasn’t expected to be part of the long-term plans for the Nets, as it remained to be seen how much basketball he had left in him, but he seems rejuvenated and ready to contribute to this team’s effort to be a legitimate force to be reckoned with in the Eastern Conference.
With Simmons averaging 8.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 8.3 assists per game ahead of tonight’s game against the Heat, he seems well on his way to resurrecting his career after so many people had written him off.
It’ll be interesting to see if Simmons can continue to make an impact in Brooklyn while reminding the rest of the league how good he can be on both ends of the floor.
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