Ben Simmons At The Five 'Got To Be A Part Of Nets Going Forward'
There is no quick fix for the Brooklyn Nets (1-4) to instantly turn the ship in a positive direction. In the words of Kevin Durant, the team needs to look at 'everything' to get things back on track. One of those things will be implementing Ben Simmons in the middle.
Everyone knew going into the regular season that it was going to take the Nets and their 'engine' Simmons quite a bit of time to show glimmering results. The 26-year-old hasn't looked good in the first handful of games for Brooklyn. His defensive timing has been off, his offensive game has lacked confidence, and most importantly - pairing him in lineups with fourth-year big, Nic Claxton or second-year big, Day'Ron Sharpe has been woeful, to say the least.
Steve Nash and the coaching staff have steered away from the usage of those lineups in the first back-to-back of the season, instead putting Simmons in small-ball lineups.
"I just think we're trying to look at different things. Free those guys [Claxton and Simmons] to try to be more definitive and decisive in their roles," said Nash on breaking up the Claxton and Simmons pairing. "When they are out together, there's a lot of moving parts for them to catch on the fly. I thought I gave Ben an opportunity to maybe be more aggressive in patches. Definitely Ben at the five has got to be a part of our team going forward."
Those lineups - an example being Kyrie Irving, Joe Harris, Royce O'Neale, Kevin Durant, and Ben Simmons - do provide the struggling Nets star with plenty of shooting and could hold their ground defensively. The flip side is rebounding will certainly be a weakness - an area (defensive rebounding) Brooklyn is rock bottom in the league through the first five games. The Nets head coach has commonly stressed the team doesn't hold that profile and the efforts on the glass have to be 'collective.'
In those small lineups against Dallas, the Mavericks did a great job utilizing the Nets' heavy switching defense to their advantage. Luka Doncic took every chance to switch off Simmons. That resulted in either the Mavs star taking the shot before the inevitable double-team arrived or once the double attacked, his creative passing led to open shooters or cutters. Brooklyn combated that well when Doncic was met with the double team by the baseline.
Brooklyn saw little bright spots of how bits of players off the bench can serve an impact to help nurse some of the woes. Two-way combo guard, David Duke Jr. and wing Yuta Watanabe had their moments in the Nets' overtime loss to the Dallas Mavericks Thursday night. Edmond Sumner has also had his fair share of moments. Their coach took notice.
“I just thought the energy, the pace, they were able to scramble defensively and get out and put pressure on them in transition,” Nash said. "I thought those guys came in and played some good basketball with heart, desire, and gave us the juice you want off the bench."
The Nets can attempt to patch up their loss of a lumbering big man - a decision Sean Marks decided to opt against in the offseason - with Simmons, Claxton, and Sharpe but against bigger teams, that'll be hard to compete with night after night. That won't all be on Simmons' shoulders either.
Simmons will need to adjust to being a five. In his stints at the five, there were glimpses of success with the star as a post facilitator but when the opportunities for him to shoot become the last resort, he needs to attempt those shots down low. The likable idea of Simmons in a screener/handoff role has been deemed successful but when teams (like the Mavericks) switch, it limits the impact.
The good thing for Brooklyn is that their schedule lightens up before hitting the West Coast swing in the third week of November. To make things a tad sweeter, reinforcements are on the way.
Seth Curry (left ankle - recovery) is nearing a return in the coming games (if not as soon as Saturday (likely)). Nash disclosed that Markieff Morris (personal reasons) will be rejoining the team against the Indiana Pacers on Saturday. TJ Warren (left foot - injury recovery) will be reevaluated in November.