Brooklyn Nets Getting Skeptical with Ben Simmons

The Brooklyn Nets are getting skeptical of Ben Simmons’ impact on the basketball court.

Nets “Building Frustration” Around Ben Simmons

With his availability and level of play in question, Brooklyn Nets’ Ben Simmons still has tons of things to do to gain the full trust of his teammates. According to a joint column written by Shams Charania and Sam Amick of The Athletic, the Nets are already building “frustration” around the situation of Simmons, with sources saying that coaching staff and players are starting to question the All-Star point forward’s “passion for the game.”

With the Nets also reeling from issues that surround star guard Kyrie Irving, it doesn’t help that they are not getting the production that they need from Ben Simmons. The 6-foot-10 playmaker has missed five games this season, and he is only putting up a stat line of 5.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 1.1 steals per contest. It’s evident that Simmons has been struggling to get back to his old All-Star form, and his impact has diminished a lot on both ends of the floor.

Still, there’s no question that Simmons is an elite two-way talent when he’s on. It was just a couple of years ago that Simmons was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team for two consecutive times. He has a unique blend of power, length, and mobility that allows him to defend positions one through five — an asset that’s widely sought after in today’s positionless game. On offense, he has astute playmaking skills, plus the quick burst that he uses in his downhill attacks. However, Simmons has yet to show these unique qualities this season.

The Nets are currently sporting a record of six wins against nine defeats, which is only good for the 12th spot in the Eastern Conference standings. They recently suffered an embarrassing 153-121 defeat at the hands of the Sacramento Kings. Simmons logged 20 minutes in that game and tallied 11 points, five rebounds, and three assists.