Brooklyn Nets’ Ben Simmons Responds to Calls for More Aggression as a Scorer

Simmons is averaging career-lows across the board when it comes to his scoring.

Nov 22, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Ben Simmons (10) dribbles the ball against the Philadelphia 76ers during the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

All season long, Brooklyn Nets head coach Jordi Fernández has reiterated how he wants Ben Simmons to be aggressive and look to score. The 41-year-old even challenged his playmaker: at least 10 field goal attempts per game. But 12 contests into the season, Simmons is shooting less than ever.

His 4.8 shot attempts and 5.4 points per game are both career lows. The most field goals Simmons has taken this season (eight) lined up with his highest-scoring game of the year (10). So why isn’t he looking at the basket more often? 

“The role I’m in right now is a little different and I’m trying to adjust,” Simmons said following the Nets’ last game. “And then obviously, when you have [Nic] Clax[ton] coming back, it’s gonna change again. I feel like I got some good rhythm in that second group, and then obviously Clax came out and then went back into that lineup. I just gotta find my spots and do a better job of doing that for the team.”

The Australian playmaker is referring to Claxton’s reinsertion and subsequent removal from the team’s first five. The Nets’ center missed preseason with a hamstring issue, first came off the bench, then began starting on Nov. 4 and is now seemingly coming off the bench again after missing three consecutive games due to a “long-term” back injury. Simmons exited the Nets’ starting lineup when Claxton returned to it, but he’s back to being a member of the first unit now.

Still, that doesn’t take away from the fact that the 6-foot-10 point guard hasn’t shot the ball 10+ times in a game since Jan. 17, 2023. In less than two months, that will be two years ago. The former all-star has only taken that many field goal attempts three times in a Nets uniform. 

A side effect of Simmons' unwillingness to shoot and lack of overall scoring is how he no longer gets to the free throw line. The former all-star averaged around five charity stripe trips per game at his best. Now, he's averaging 0.3 free throws a night. This season, Simmons hasn't taken a foul shot in eleven out of his twelve games.

Fernández commented on this trend after Simmons’ best game of the season against Charlotte: “Like I said before, I want [him] to be aggressive and attempt more shots, so that's my goal right now, to get ... his attempts to go up. But I'm not worried about the free throws. It's like one step at a time. Probably, if he attempts more shots, maybe he gets fouled more.”

That is clearly easier said than done. Since being traded to Brooklyn, Simmons has played in 69 games and averaged 6.5 points on 5.3 shots attempted. The 28-year-old is an unrestricted free agent next summer. 

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