Nets' Ben Simmons Shows Major Improvement in Win Over Bulls

Simmons was everywhere for Brooklyn in a major way.

Nov 1, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Ben Simmons (10) is defended by Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic (9) during the second half at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The Brooklyn Nets came away with a huge win last night against the Chicago Bulls, 120-112. The Nets are now at .500 with a 3-3 record and have been showing legitimate competitiveness to start the season.

A team that was expected to be near the bottom of the standings, Brooklyn took another game it wasn't supposed to win. The star of the show was Cam Thomas, who had 32 points on 11-of-23 shooting. However, Ben Simmons surprised a lot of people last night with his performance.

Simmons finished with eight points, eight rebounds, 11 assists, and two blocks. The former NBA All-Star had a bit of a resurgence last night, as he was everywhere for Brooklyn. Although the scoring wasn't necessarily prominent, it was on 4-of-5 shooting, displaying efficient basketball.

There was a lot of talk as to where Simmons would fit in with this group. It was clear that Thomas, Dennis Schroder, Dorian Finney-Smith, Cameron Johnson, and Nic Claxton had established themselves as starters, but Simmons has filled in nicely as Claxton stays on a minutes restriction and comes off the bench.

The Australian point-forward is now averaging 6.2 points, 6.2 assists and 6.0 rebounds to start the 2024-25 season. Once a powerful force in the league, Simmons had been dealing with health issues and turmoil with his last team, the Philadelphia 76ers.

Since being traded to the Nets in 2022, he's still dealt with injuries but has been a solid complimentary piece in the system. New head coach Jordi Fernandez seems to be getting more out of him in ways other than scoring as the season starts

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