Ben Simmons has been performing well considering his recent recovery from serious back surgery as well as a host of mental issues that the player had to deal with while being treated for a potentially disabling injury. Now he is starting in the Brooklyn Nets roster and shows that he is capable of playing at the top level, but he needs more time.
Coach Steve Nash said that Simmons is still far from his ideal shape and that the needs more time to adapt to playing in NBA again. Nash also added that Simmons is not a regular player and has incredible talent, but the team must provide a good environment to facilitate the return of Simmons to its best possible shape.
This rhetoric is becoming old and quickly
During his 44 minutes on the field in two preseason games, Ben Simmons managed to only score 10 points and get 14 rebounds. His conducting efforts were also mediocre as he only got 9 assists and 8 turnovers. It also seems that Simmons has issues with his aim. He did not want to take any shots from the three-point line and failed both free throw attempts. This is certainly not a performance that fans are waiting for from this player.
Nash noted that Ben Simmons was out for over a year and did not have any meaningful playtime. At the same time, the player simply did not have enough time to attend as many training sessions as he needs to regain his muscle memory and the ability to shoot reliably once again.
Ben Simmons has the necessary support from the team
For example, Kevin Durant stated that he believes that Simmons will recover soon and will shine brighter than ever when his offensive confidence returns. Right now, he is not too enthusiastic about playing overly aggressively. However, Durant also stressed that he will try to push the player to his limits to get in shape quicker.
The same idea was expressed by Kyrie Irving who also believes that the whole team must be more aggressive and play more confidently even when Simmons steps out on the court.
