© Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
Ben Simmons: 'I'm Coming, I'm Getting There'
After a strong showing in Tuesday night's embarrassing defeat to the Sacramento Kings, Ben Simmons took his game to the next level against the Portland Trail Blazers Thursday night. A level that fans and the Nets have been waiting for and a performance that left excitement for what's to come next.
“Incredible, incredible,” said Durant on Simmons' performance.
“I’m just happy for him because he’s been trying to get his form back, trying to figure his rhythm out. Tonight, I think he did a good job of just talking up, commanding the offense, and commanding the team on the defensive side of the ball. He was just incredible tonight. We want to keep building on that. He controlled the game and was able to get us back into it.”
Before the last two contests against the Kings and the Trail Blazers, Simmons rarely looked to attack the rim or be aggressive in scoring the ball. That switch flipped in those two contests with the 26-year-old attacking the basket with aggression to pair with his trademark ability to push the break, which opened more shots along the perimeter for his teammates.
“It just gives us all confidence," said Durant after Simmons' performance against the Blazers Thursday night. "Look at how many open shots we got tonight. Royce [O’Neale] got a lot of wide open threes, Joe [Harris] got started with some threes, Yuta [Watanabe] got some threes, Seth [Curry] got some shots. I think Ben just getting downhill, making plays, and combining that with Royce with 11 assists, myself who can create a little bit off the dribble. It just gives us more weapons out there on the floor.”
His best performance of the short season concluded with his first double-double as a Net with 15 points (a perfect 6-of-6 shooting from the field), 13 boards, and dishing seven assists in a season-high 32 minutes off the bench. In the outing, his versatile defending was on full display, taking the challenges of guarding Blazers bruising big, Jusuf Nurkic and superstar Damian Lillard.
“It’s very encouraging," said Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn postgame. "Most minutes he’s played. He really responded well and had a few combinations with Nic [Claxton] and without Nic, pushing the basketball, as a screener, so kinda what we envision him doing everything for us. The defensive versatility of him guarding Jusuf [Nurkic] and also Damian Lillard. A lot of people can’t do that. If we can continue to grow with him and understand him, his game, how he benefits with who, it’s very encouraging.”
More importantly, Simmons was challenged by Portland when the lights were at their brightest. The Blazers showed no hesitation to intentionally foul Simmons down the stretch to send him to the foul line with hopes of capitalizing off his poor free-throw shooting woes.
Instead, the plan backfired. Simmons shot 3-of-4 from the stripe to help Brooklyn escape Portland with the crucial victory to split the four-game west coast road trip. Royce O'Neale, who recorded his first triple-double, got a late tip-in just before the buzzer to seal the win.
Nov 17, 2022; Portland, Oregon, USA; Brooklyn Nets point guard Ben Simmons (10) shoots a free throw during the second half against the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
© Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
“I love those moments. I’m not going to shy away,” said Simmons on his late-game free throws. “That was their plan and it didn’t work. We were able to convert a couple of free throws and coming back, get some stops. Just building. I like those moments.”
“To be honest, we had no doubts when he walked up there,” said Durant on Simmons shooting free throws late in the fourth. “I felt like we were all confident just the way the game was flowing and just the way he was playing. Everybody felt his energy to start the game so I felt super confident when he went up there. So 3-for-4 in crunch time like that, that was key for us. We needed those.”
Since returning from his initial battle with left knee soreness - missing five-straight games - Vaughn has committed to Simmons coming off the bench. The head coach and the 26-year-old have held candid and honest conversations about his new role heading every day. The head coach - who credited Simmons' rise in play to him 'feeling good' - wouldn't commit to Simmons potentially proving his worth as a starter but praised his star for meeting his expectations.
“I think overall, I’m honest with him every day," said Vaughn on his conversations with Simmons. "I went to him before shootaround the other day and said I’m staying with the same lineup. The consistency and stability that we have right now, we’re searching for it. We’re going to keep that. My message to him was to play hard. Tonight he played hard. That’s evidence and more confidence from his teammates and coaches. And he understands that.”
Fresh off the two biggest performances of his Nets career, Simmons is now averaging 6.6 points, 6.7 boards, 5.7 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.5 blocks in 27.1 minutes per game. He wants to continue building but he senses there are plenty more positives to come.
“I’m coming. I’m getting there, man," Simmon stated. "It’s taking a little bit of time but I got my own back. My teammates got my back. My coaches [got my back]."
