Brooklyn Nets level guard Ben Simmons is within the early phases of reclaiming his profession and getting it again on monitor completely. The final couple of years have been nothing lower than tumultuous and stuffed with drama. Most questioned (generally aloud) if Simmons even needed to play basketball anymore and questioned whether or not his coronary heart was in it. It’s nonetheless early within the 2023-24 marketing campaign, however by way of the primary week and a half, Simmons seems to be like a man having enjoyable, and loving the sport.
The common fan (or informal as they name it) will see Ben’s stat line within the field rating and concentrate on what he didn’t do when it comes to scoring. On Wednesday evening, Simmons scored simply 4 factors however was one of many main forces in Brooklyn’s win over Miami on the highway, 109-105. His 11 rebounds, 5 assists, and one big block within the fourth quarter had been monumental within the victory.
One of probably the most vital modifications in Ben in contrast to the earlier two years is he’s smiling again. He truly seems to be completely satisfied to be a part of a workforce. Just earlier than the common season started, Simmons discovered how a lot the followers care about him (nicely, one for certain) when he met a younger man with a tattoo of Simmons’ face on his chest. Despite that questionable resolution, Simmons seemed shocked and flattered on the similar time, so he handed the child a shirt.
Simmons obtained a lot flack over how his tenure in Philadelphia ended that it should really feel nice to see followers nonetheless cheering. He’d all however been counted out after sitting out in Philly, then being traded to the Nets and barely taking part in at first. Some had been saying Simmons ought to grasp it up. That sounds loopy since he’s solely 27 years outdated, however he’d fallen up to now that it was arduous to think about him climbing again up.
In 4 video games this 12 months, Simmons is averaging 7.3 factors, 7.5 assists, and 10.3 rebounds per sport. That doesn’t sound phenomenal to most, however Ben is comparable to Draymond Green as a result of you possibly can’t listen to what he scored. Forget about field scores typically with a majority of these gamers.
You have to watch them play and see how they make performs and create eventualities that set teammates up for achievement. The stage of ardour and emotion from Simmons and Green aren’t an identical, however the affect they will have on a sport with out scoring a ton is fairly comparable. The primary distinction is one was drafted to a workforce investing in “the process,” whereas the opposite went to a franchise with Stephen Curry that was prepared to win championships.
It’s nonetheless too early to proclaim that Simmons is “back” to his outdated self, however he’s undoubtedly heading in the right direction by way of 4 video games. He’ll probably by no means be a participant who scores 20 factors an evening, however when he’s targeted, Simmons can actually management a sport with every little thing else he brings to the courtroom.
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