Whereas the Nets suffered their second lack of the NBA preseason on Monday night time in opposition to the Philadelphia 76ers, Ben Simmons continued to show some heads.
The 27-year-old performed simply 42 video games final 12 months as he battled a again damage that brought about him to overlook all the 2021-2022 season, however appeared like his previous self within the staff’s first preseason sport in opposition to the Los Angeles Lakers on Oct. 10. Simmons stored it going in opposition to his former staff, scoring eight factors with 9 assists and 6 rebounds in 29 minutes of motion.
Though, head coach Jacque Vaughn famous there are nonetheless areas of the sport that Simmons must hold engaged on, in addition to areas that teammates should adapt to when enjoying with the previous No. 1 choose. Simmons had eight turnovers within the 127-119 loss, however Vaughn mentioned he is “inspired on the persistence” the Nets should study extra and construct as a staff.
“Yeah that is simply going to be part of it,” Vaughn mentioned. “As a result of it is not solely Ben discovering house on the ground and the right way to create and create with who. Nevertheless it’s the totally different lineups that we have had on the market. You are going to study to play with him. It is a distinctive fashion of play, his tempo and the angles that he performs with and the actions that he is used to enjoying with.
“We’re gonna develop collectively, perceive these angles. Whether or not it is him enjoying big-big pick-and-roll. We had a couple of turnovers as a result of the bigs simply aren’t used to enjoying big-big pick-and-roll in that method with a man that is his measurement who can ship the basketball. Issues that we’ll proceed to work on. I am simply inspired on the persistence our guys should have to ensure that us to determine this out.”
Simmons agreed that turnovers have been a problem in opposition to the Sixers, however he mentioned that he quite make these forms of errors now in comparison with the common season.
“Yeah for me personally, each time I am going right into a observe or sport like this, if I make errors it is OK. I might quite study off my errors, proper,” Simmons mentioned. “I had some turnovers early, misreading the place the defenders have been, and tried to right these issues all through the sport.”
He added: “I really feel good, there’s spurts the place we glance nice, there’s spurts the place we seem like we do not know, one another. And that is what we’re making an attempt to do. We’re making an attempt to determine one another out and making an attempt to determine how we wish to play, the place we must be. Clearly I bought to maintain the ball. However I quite get turnovers out now than later.”
Vaughn was additionally inspired on the catch-and-shoot three-point seems the Nets bought all through the sport from Simmons attacking the rim and drawing a double-team. Notably, Simmons lower to the rim, caught the ball, and located Spencer Dinwiddie within the nook on an ideal behind-the-back go.
The pinnacle coach added that the Nets will “proceed to experiment with” enjoying Simmons, who’s enjoying each level guard and ahead, and Dinwiddie on the courtroom collectively. The Nets have been staggering their minutes in the course of the preseason to search out out what works greatest, and there have been a handful of instances the 2 performed on the courtroom collectively Monday.
“We have now to have them play collectively, that is simply a part of it, however we additionally develop with them enjoying individually as effectively,” Vaughn mentioned.
When requested about enjoying alongside Dinwiddie, Simmons emphasised, “I belief him.”
Simmons went on to debate how Vaughn desires to see him be extra of a chief for this Nets staff, and regardless of the loss, he was proud of how the staff did not quit and continued to combat and “keep on with the gameplan.”
“It has been nice,” Simmons mentioned. “We clearly did not get off to an ideal begin, however I used to be telling the fellows to remain within the sport, keep targeted, and keep on with the gameplan. We made our run, got here again. That is the sport, simply staying within the sport, staying current, and believing in what you are operating and the construction you’ve got and believing in coach.”