Ben Simmons answered zero of the questions that have hovered over his career for nearly 18 months in his return to the NBA.
For all the hype about his return in what was his first game with the Brooklyn Nets, he not only delivered little as far as helping his team, he was again tentative.
The 26-year-old Australian former No.1 draft pick took just two shots for the Nets in their unimpressive 130-108 loss on their home floor at the Barclays Center to New Orleans.
He scored Brooklyn’s first basket of the match – an alley-oop dunk – and then didn’t take another shot until late in the third quarter when he botched a relatively tough lay-up. His only attempt to put the ball in the hoop was when he was fed another alley-oop dunk early in the fourth quarter as the match had all but slipped away.
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When he last stepped foot on an NBA floor in June, 2021, he was mocked both internally and externally for not shooting as higher-ranked Philadelphia were knocked out of the playoffs in an upset loss to Atlanta.
Zion Williamson dribbles past Ben Simmons. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
Unfortunately, not much has changed.
And it’s not like he was dishing out dimes with any great regularity to his prolific scoring cohorts Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
Simmons finished with five assists and five rebounds to go with his four points, while also turning the ball over three times and fouling out in 23 minutes.
His plus-minus was a brutal -26.
It’s only one game, the smallest of sample sizes and way too early to be reaching for anything resembling a panic button.
Simmons could possibly just have been rusty and hopefully he’s on top of the mental health concerns which plagued him along with a back injury last season even after he got his wish to be traded from the 76ers.
But he needs to get aggressive or he will be a non-factor.
“I just think he’s rusty, the guy hasn’t played for over a year,” coach Steve Nash said in defence of Simmons in his post-match media conference. “He’s still getting used to referees, defence, offence, this is a process for Ben.
“He’s shown glimpses of the player we know he is and can be but it’s not easy. We’re here to support him, push him, coach him up and try to get him to a place where he can play to a level he’s played at in the past.
“There’s a lot on his plate but as long as he continues to build his confidence and play hard and play with force, we’re fine with him making mistakes as he grows into this.”
Continues? It didn’t look like he started to play hard or with force against the Pelicans.
After an off-season of turmoil centred around Durant wanting a trade and Nash fired, as well as Irving looking to get out the door, the Nets are likely to have itchy trigger fingers early in the season if the results continue on this path.
Simmons’ once-promising career, which has already featured three All-Star appearances and an all-NBA Third Team selection in 2020, could follow a path like other high draft picks who get shuttled around from team to team in the second half of their career as they become more trouble than they’re worth.
Random observations from season’s first two nights
Zion is back: The former No.1 draft pick is not as hefty as he was before being sidelined for a year with a foot injury but he’s still too powerful for defenders in the paint, tallying 25 points with all 11 makes coming close to the rim. He notched nine rebounds, four steals and three assists for good measure to cause Brooklyn nightmares.
Hard for Daniels to get game time: The Pelicans have such a deep roster that Australian rookie Dyson Daniels may initially struggle to get on the floor. The No.8 draft pick was only given three minutes of garbage time in Brooklyn and missed his only lay-up attempt but dished off a couple of nice assists.
Celtics didn’t miss a beat: For all the off-season drama about Ime Udoka being suspended for the season, Boston’s machine looked like it had picked up from last season’s playoff form with Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum firing in the win over Philadelphia. The addition of former rookie of the year Malcolm Brogdon as a steadying hand will be significant.
Jock’s landed in a good spot: Boomers big man Jock Landale got 10 minutes off the bench in his Phoenix debut after being traded from San Antonio in the off-season as they stormed home to beat Dallas. His seven points and three rebounds were an encouraging start for Landale, who is ahead of Dario Saric in the back-up centre pecking order.
Green light for Josh: Fellow Aussie Josh Green also had more game time than usual in the same game. After averaging 11 minutes in his rookie season and 15 last year, the Dallas guard was hs team’s best player in the plus-minus at +18 in his 18 minutes against the Suns. He only came up with one point and two assists on offence but gave them plenty of defensive clout with a block, four rebounds, and a steal.
Luca needs more support: The Mavs faded badly against the Suns and centre Christian Wood, used off the bench, made a promising start in his Dallas debut with 25 points but Spencer Dinwiddie was the only other player to score more than 10.
Lakers need to make that trade: Russell Westbrook is not part of this team, as we saw with his pre-season huddle snub, and it’s not working with him alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis, as was again evident in the opening-night loss to Golden State. He put up 19 points and 11 rebounds – the Lakers need to trade him soon while before his value plummets further.
Giddey up for threes: Australian rising star Josh Giddey has been working with legendary shooting coach Chip Engelland in the off-season and has clearly been told by OKC to not be afraid to let fire from outside after shooting at a dismal 26.3% from three as a rookie. He took seven attempts in the Thunder’s first-up loss to Minnesota and despite only making two this time around, he’s been knocking them down in the pre-season and will clearly be looking to add that more and more to his repertoire this season.
Giddey ended up with 14 points and 11 redbounds while Ousmane Dieng got his NBA debut after his stint at the New Zealand Breakers last season, getting nine minutes but struggling to make an impact.
Jazz beat Denver? This one is impossible to explain. Denver are supposed to be contenders, Utah are meant to be tanking yet they smoked them 123-102. Jamal Murray had minimal impact in his first game since an ACL tear late in the 2020-21 season with just 12 points and the Nuggets were a -19 during his 25 minutes.
No Delly – no wonder Kings lost: The Sacramento Kings had the temerity to sign Matthew Dellavedova and then not unleash him on Damian Lillard. No wonder Portland won 115-108.
jameswm
Roar Guru
He might just not be a great shooter despite a lot of hard work. I found it harsh to say he has chosen not to work on his shooting. I agree he needs to be prepared to attack the hoop and take free throws. No issues from me there. 3s don't really matter so much.
astro
Roar Rookie
The point I'm trying to make is a pretty simple one, but you seem determined to defend Simmons on it and nit-pick my comment, which is fine, but as I said, I've given up on the narrative than Simmons doesn't need to shoot to be effective. Last years playoffs, proved that's not true. He needs to, at the bare minimum, threaten to shoot the ball and be willing to take FTs. Two games in, that doesn't look to be the case... Hence why I'm more than a little disappointed to see Simmons come out, after he had more than a year to fix this problem, and show no improvement. And I don't think I need "inside info" to think that. Just take off the rose-coloured glasses.
jameswm
Roar Guru
So, no inside info at all. You have made an absurd claim that Simmons is deliberately not working on his shooting. I'll let you stand by that one.
Paul Suttor
Expert
not as many as the place where the Jazz franchise kicked off
astro
Roar Rookie
The inside info I have are his first game shooting stats: 2-3 FGs and 0-2 FTs. For a long time, I've been a big Ben Simmons defender. All the nonsense about him not shooting 3s, was just that. But my patience with him has run out. His last game in Philly were a disaster, and I really thought/hoped that during his year out of the game, he might have improved his offense in different ways and not be a liability on the offensive end, but this first game was depressing...He seemed completely unwilling to shoot, and scared of getting fouled. He's 26yrs old and been in the league for 7yrs...2 of which he didn't play a game due to injury/hold outs. The idea that he just needs some time and confidence is ridiculous. He's had time and seemingly done nothing with it. Yes, I'm being harsh but I think in Simmons' case, its justified. He should be able to make a FT. I mean, come on...
jameswm
Roar Guru
No Jazz clubs in Salt Lake City, are there?
jameswm
Roar Guru
So you're saying Simmons has deliberately chosen not to practise shooting. You have this inside info, do you?
jameswm
Roar Guru
THis is exactly right. The carry on about Ben shooting 3s misses the point. The team has Kyrie, KD, Joe Harris, Seth Curry, Patty Mills and others - a ton of 3-point shooting. But he does need the confidence to attack the rim and make 60%+ of his free throws. His free throws are important, his 3-point shooting isn't. He looked like he had a bit of mojo back in pre-season, so he probably just needs time now, and confidence. Agree on Zion - It'll be fun watching NOP this season, even more so if Daniels gets some decent game time.
Paul Suttor
Expert
his best-case scenario now appears to be a lesser version of Draymond Green, an elite defender who can be a defensive presence and set up teammates with elite passing but when it comes to scoring on his own, he's not a factor. Simmons could be much better on offence, he has been much better but whether he will even get back to that level is a massive what-if atm
Yattuzzi
Roar Rookie
But apart from that he has many good points. If he is left alone, he will lift or not. But heavy critical analysis on every game and ridiculous headlines is not necessary.
astro
Roar Rookie
Much of the attention on Simmons has been created by him, so I dont feel too much sympathy there. So to is his problem with shooting...Its nothing he couldnt have solved in a gym through hard work, practice and good coaching. Yet, he chose to not to. As for his numbers...they mean little. Not unlike Westbrook. Its all well and good for him to dish out some assists and rebounds, but as long as he poses no offensive threat at all, he's a hinderance, and quickly turning into one of the worst contracts in the league.
astro
Roar Rookie
I really don't see where Simmons goes from here...In today's NBA, having someone out there who is a complete non-threat offensively is a massive disadvantage. The Nets cant win if teams are able to easily double KD or Kyrie and leave Ben wide open all game, knowing he wont shoot. More than that though, its just impossible for me to believe that after all that time on the side lines, Simmons didnt learn to shoot. Even FTs. It says a lot about his mindset, I think...such a shame.
Yattuzzi
Roar Rookie
Zion will smash them this season. Simmons doesn't really need to score any jumpers. He just needs to drive the basket and make over 50% of his free throws.
Paul Suttor
Expert
He did have a very tough defensive assignment guarding Zion the whole game. Simmons doesn't need to score a ton or even take outside jumpers if he's not confident enough to do so but he has to show some sort of intent
Paul Suttor
Expert
how dare you, sir. The pelican is a graceful bird of prey, also the state symbol of Louisiana. Better name than Hornets for New Orleans but not as good as Jazz, which is rightfully their name
Steven Harris
The Pelicans ...seriously what marketing genius thought that one up.
Yattuzzi
Roar Rookie
I think Simmons has too much attention, too many wanting to pull out the short knifes. His figures would almost be a triple double if he played enough time. But yes he was nervous and didn’t want to miss shots. His foul shots were very nervous. His team started terribly. The guns were extremely cold. Offensive plays were almost all just individual. The team needs a big beast to defend the rim. That is not Simmons. How will Zion go pushing through Adam’s?