Simmons’ Return Helps Put Pep Back In Nets’ Steps In Blowout Of Jazz
Halfway through Monday night’s first quarter at Barclays Center, the Nets were holding a 16-14 lead over a Utah squad that entered the game having won 15 of its last 21 games. I’d describe the pace and effort displayed by both clubs to that point as leisurely, most pronounced by Brooklyn’s disdainful work on their defensive boards.
Then Ben Simmons checked into the contest, and it was like the Nets were given a “Shazam!” type electricity boost. Simmons, making his first appearance since suffering another back injury on November 6, immediately made an impact with an incredible six assists during a 4:34 run that saw the Nets go up by 15 points by the end of the frame en route to a 147-114 blowout victory.
Simmons finished two rebounds shy of a triple-double, posting a voluminous stat line of 10 points (on 5-for-5 shooting), 11 assists, 8 rebounds, a steal, and a block in 18 minutes. Oh, and no turnovers, which put him in an overall production category that was reserved for Denver star Nikola Jokic this season.
It was the perfect setting against the right opponent for Simmons to showcase what the Nets have been missing these last 38 games. The Jazz were scuffling through a six-game road trip all over the country. Their general lack of speed made Simmons seem like he was shot out of a cannon as soon as the ball hit his hands. The Nets registered 28 fast break points; Simmons was on the court for 17 of them, per NBA.com.
Utah failed to expose Simmons’ shooting flaws, including his awful free throw rate. Credit Nets Head Coach Jacque Vaughn for splitting Simmons’ minutes with non-shooter center Nic Claxton to help with the team’s spacing. The Jazz defensive game plan of backing up into the paint (especially while in their zone schemes), giving Simmons unobstructed views of his teammates’ off-ball movements, played to his strengths. He had several assist/screen assist doubles from passes to three-point shooters directly behind him while simultaneously setting a pick. The evening couldn’t have been scripted any better for him.
As expected, Simmons was on a minutes restriction, playing about four-plus minutes in each quarter. When he was subbed out, he stood by the end of the bench instead of sitting, presumably to keep his back loose. Near the end of his fourth quarter stint, he took a tumble after blocking a layup attempt by Utah guard Talen Horten-Tucker, with Simmons’ knee seemingly twisted as he was falling. Nets fans were able to exhale when Simmons got up without exhibiting any observable pain.
And therein lies the disclaimer. Simmons’ injury history, particularly the back issues since he was traded to Brooklyn in the James Harden blockbuster two years ago, should make Nets fans temper their enthusiasms. He is still only about 20 months removed from a microdiscectomy procedure. This season’s setback just six games in showed how precarious this type of injury can be on long-term availability. As YES studio host Frank Isola noted on the postgame show, it’s not about Simmons performing well in a return engagement. Simmons has to, in his own words, “stack up games” before a true belief can take hold.
And that would be wonderful for Brooklyn (19-27), for this is a team that struggles to create offense. Going into Monday’s contest, the Nets were 25th in offensive efficiency since December 11, a stretch which saw them drop 18 of 24 games.
The quality of looks the Nets generated when Simmons was on the court versus off was night and day. That’s because his teammates would race up the court to their spots, even after Utah’s made baskets, with the understanding that Simmons would find them if they got open.
As soon as Simmons exited, however, you could see the players all walking up into the front court, where the offense often devolved into prayers that Cam Thomas or Mikal Bridges would knock down higher degree of difficulty shots. The pace change was that obvious. Again, nearly half (19) of Brooklyn’s 41 assists, just the third time this century that the team broke 40 assists in a game, occurred during the 18 minutes Simmons was on the court in a 48-minute game, per NBA.com.
So while Monday night was certainly fun, the open question is whether it can be replicated on a somewhat consistent basis. Simmons has a unique skillset that can help this team get back into the race for a play-in seed. But that’s only if he’s able to play. Who knows, it could be a game-to-game kind of situation for the near future. No one asked about Simmons’ status for Wednesday night’s prime-time matchup with Phoenix and former Net Kevin Durant.
Simmons’ agent Bernard Lee predicted last week that his client’s return would “fix” the Nets’ issues. I’ll give him this: For one night, Simmons certainly put the pep back in their steps.