How Ben Simmons can raise the Nets' ceiling during 2023-24 season
The Nets are coming into the 2023-24 season with tepid expectations. Brooklyn made the playoffs last year, but the team went 13-15 after the trade deadline and was swept in a four-game first round series against the Philadelphia 76ers.
It’s safe to say that the Nets are not guaranteed a playoff spot next year. One potential hope for Brooklyn next season is Ben Simmons.
SNY’s Ian Begley reported last week that Simmons has completed rehab, is 100 percent healthy and working on skills and conditioning.
In 42 games last season, Simmons put up career lows of 6.9 points, 6.3 rebounds and 6.1 assists. Back and left knee injuries cost Simmons nearly half of the season. Simmons missed the entire 2021-22 season as well.
When he did suit up, Simmons was not the same threat that won Rookie of the Year and made three All-Star teams while averaging at least 14 points over four consecutive seasons in Philadelphia.
Despite all of the negatives working against him, Simmons can still help the Nets by adding vibrance to a sometimes-bland offense.
After trading Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving before the trade deadline, Brooklyn was 22nd in offensive efficiency, scoring 113.0 points per 100 possessions. Even more alarming, the Nets were 27th in percentage of points coming on fast breaks after the All-Star break, per NBA Stats.
With Durant and Irving on the roster, the Nets could play more methodical and a slower half court-styled game because of both players’ ability to score in isolation or the pick and roll.
This Nets team that is currently built around good but not great offensive players like Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson and Spencer Dinwiddie needs to find easier ways to create offense. Speeding up the pace and finding scoring in transition is an easy solution to that. None of those three players is the level of playmaker like Simmons.
At his peak, Simmons thrived in transition. Roughly 23 percent of Simmons’ points came from fast breaks in his last two healthy seasons with Philadelphia. Scoring is just one aspect of Simmons’ game in transition. He also excelled as a playmaker setting up outside shooters.
Now, Simmons doesn’t come without his warts. His lack of perimeter shooting makes him a tough fit to space the floor and play with starting center Nic Claxton. In the halfcourt, Simmons’ preference to not shoot from the perimeter can be damaging and his aversion to taking free-throws is a concern.
Also, after having back surgery last year, Simmons’ ability to defend quicker guards on the perimeter is another question. It might be too much to ask him to guard some of the top players at the position such as Steph Curry or Trae Young.
Point guard battle
According to ESPN’s Marc Spears, Simmons is expected to be the starter at point guard next season.
A starter last year, Spencer Dinwiddie will also be a competitor for the starting spot at point guard next season, but is capable of playing off the ball as he showed playing next to Luka Doncic in Dallas. Brooklyn also signed point guard Dennis Smith Jr. to a one-year contract.
Regardless, if Simmons starts or receives minutes at the point with the reserve unit, there are opportunities for him to get some reps, and the Nets should see what they have to elevate what seems like a limited ceiling for the franchise this upcoming season.
With a player option for the 2024-25 season, Simmons is owed over $78 million for the next two years. If he can’t reclaim the flame that made him a former No. 1 overall pick, he could be an attractive expiring contract trade chip.
But if Simmons does rediscover his game, it could change the way we look at the Nets this year.
