PHILADELPHIA — Former teammates Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid squared off towards one another for the primary time since Simmons was traded from Philadelphia to Brooklyn final February on Wednesday evening. The matchup was extremely anticipated and the sport lived as much as the hype because the Sixers pulled out a 137-133 victory over the Nets in entrance of a raucous crowd on the Wells Fargo Center.
Simmons, nonetheless, spent the ultimate eight minutes and 57 seconds of the sport glued to Brooklyn’s bench, as coach Jacque Vaughn opted to go in a unique path due, partly no less than, to Simmons’ total lack of aggression — a regarding development that has adopted Simmons from Philly to New York.
Despite enjoying over 16 minutes, Simmons went scoreless within the first half towards the Sixers whereas making an attempt only a single shot. Then, it was like somebody reminded him at halftime that he is 6’10” and tremendous athletic as a result of he seemed like a unique participant within the third quarter. He got here out aggressive and really seemed to assault the basket like he used to do when he was making All-Star groups as a member of the Sixers. Simmons tried 5 photographs and scored 10 factors in that third quarter. He even linked on each of his free throws. But then he performed simply three minutes within the ultimate body earlier than being subbed out, by no means to return.
Overall, Simmons’ efficiency towards Philadelphia felt like a microcosm of his total season up thus far. There had been glimpses of the bellicose baller that he as soon as was, however total he was largely a passive non-factor, particularly on the offensive finish. With Kevin Durant sidelined, the Nets have wanted different guys to step up on the offensive finish, and whereas guys like Kyrie Irving (30 factors, 10 assists towards Philly), Nic Claxton (25 factors, 11 rebounds) and Seth Curry (32 factors) have answered the decision, Simmons merely hasn’t.
Sure, Simmons continues to be one of many league’s extra versatile defenders, but when he cannot be persistently relied on offensively, there is not any assure that he will be on the courtroom in crunch time. That was clearly the message that Vaughn needed to get throughout by benching Simmons down the stretch in Philadelphia.
“I feel total it is the message I sort of talked about earlier than the sport. We’re going to get each man, and that is together with Ben [Simmons] to worth each possession,” Vaughn stated of the choice after the sport. “To play laborious each possession. And simply since you play the primary half, it doesn’t suggest you are going to play the second half.
“We actually need to get to a degree the place your teammate depends on you. Dependent on you to do your job each single evening and each single possession. Ben confirmed extra capacity to play with drive within the second half, which paid off, which is what we want, which is nice for our crew. And then down the stretch, with us being down, I simply needed to area the ground and get extra taking pictures on the market. See if we might climb again into the sport it doesn’t matter what the dimensions was or something.”
It can already be a tricky job to play Simmons within the guts of the sport as a result of his aversion to taking pictures, which makes it simpler for opposing defenses to use stress elsewhere. If he isn’t even going to contemplate attempting to get the ball to the rim, the sport towards the Sixers will not be the final time he spends the stretch run on the bench.
You may watch any Nets recreation this season and level out no less than a few performs the place Simmons’ lack of aggression jumps off the display, and here is only a pair of examples from the primary half of the sport towards the Sixers:
When it involves Simmons’ season and his lack of aggression, one stat is very telling. In the 36 video games that he is appeared in, Simmons has extra private fouls (127) than made discipline objectives (124). That’s astonishing, particularly for a max participant making over $35 million this season.
Please test the opt-in field to acknowledge that you just wish to subscribe.
Thanks for signing up!
Keep a watch in your inbox.
Sorry!
There was an error processing your subscription.
A few years in the past, the favored chorus relating to Simmons was that he wanted so as to add a 3-point shot to his repertoire. Now, individuals — particularly these in Brooklyn’s entrance workplace — simply need to see him take alternatives across the rim once they’re offered to him. The hope of Simmons ever growing into any kind of a dependable shooter from lengthy distance seems like a dashed dream at this level.
While taking pictures is a talent, aggression is a mindset, so Simmons is in command of his personal destiny right here. If he can determine a technique to persistently convey that drive that Jacque Vaughn is in search of, then he’ll solidify his spot as a key contributor for a Nets crew with championship aspirations. If not, then his future with the franchise — each brief and long-term — comes into query.
