Ben Simmons is far from out of the woods. The Nets player seems to have returned to form, although as expected he will miss Brooklyn's second back-to-back game on Monday night against Memphis.
But the Australian still shows uncertainty when trying his luck, as has been the case many times in the past. The stakes are not the same as a Game 7 of the playoffs like against the Hawks. But this timidity when shooting should not persist, we are getting impatient within the New York franchise.
At least ten shots per match
A sequence caused a lot of talk eight days ago during the Bucks reception. Ben Simmons intercepts a ball on a rebound, giving the Nets a 3-on-2 situation. The 28-year-old can finish alone against Brook Lopez, but chooses to serve Cam Johnson, who immediately gives him back.
The opportunity passed, Ben Simmons ended up losing control of the situation and possession achieved nothing. “ His refusal to go to the circle is astonishing » local commentator Ian Eagle can't believe it.
Nothing detrimental for Brooklyn, already well in the lead and ultimately comfortable winner of Milwaukee. But this aborted counterattack still illustrates too well the reluctance from which Ben Simmons suffers.
“ I want him to shoot more than that“, confirmed his coach Jordi Fernandez after his team's defeat on Sunday against Detroit. “ My goal is for him to take ten shots (per game). He has to find a way to do this. He hasn't achieved it yet, but I know he can. » Sunday, Ben Simmons attempted four shots in 25 minutes. His record this season? Five shots, for two outings at 4/5 against the Grizzlies and against the Bulls.
Five is also the number of games in his six outings during which Ben Simmons did not attempt a single free throw. After six games, the former Sixer has accumulated more assists (37) and rebounds (36) than points (35). Almost afraid when it comes time to finish at the hoop, he suffers from a lack of aggressiveness, like his lack of dunk this season, despite his athletic qualities and his size advantage over certain oppositions.
“ He's getting closer to where he's supposed to be physically, and his shot count needs to increase“, repeats Jordi Fernandez. “ Because we will all benefit from it. I don't care how many hits and misses there are. I just want to see the number of attempts go up. He is more than capable of it so he will definitely succeed. »
Few shots attempted and a host of lost balls
If Ben Simmons must do better and gain confidence in scoring, it is also because the rest of his offensive game is not enough to erase his flaws for the moment.
With 3.3 lost balls in 24.3 minutes, he is well above his career standards, bringing him closer to the volumes worthy of the most expensive players in the league. His 4.9 lost balls reported over 36 minutes place him level with Trae Young, and not far from Cade Cunningham (5.2), James Harden or Ja Morant (5.6). All offensive leaders of their franchises, which Ben Simmons is not.
“ It's a question of repetition”, assured the person concerned after the victory against Chicago on Friday. “ I see losing the ball as something both negative and positive. Obviously you don't want to lose the ball, but this allows you to learn from your mistakes. The more matches I play with these guys, the more minutes I will have with them. And the more times I could repeat the actions with them, the better I would be. »
Ben Simmons may partly play his place in the starting five during his next performances. Nic Claxton, who has not yet started since the start of the season after being injured in the adductor, should soon regain his starting status as confirmed by Jordi Fernandez, and thus leave one of the three behind. forwards” who are currently starting the meetings, between Cam Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith and Ben Simmons.
| Ben Simmons | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2017-18 | PHL | 81 | 34 | 54.5 | 0.0 | 56.0 | 1.8 | 6.3 | 8.1 | 8.2 | 2.6 | 1.7 | 3.4 | 0.9 | 15.8 |
| 2018-19 | PHL | 79 | 34 | 56.3 | 0.0 | 60.0 | 2.2 | 6.6 | 8.8 | 7.7 | 2.6 | 1.4 | 3.5 | 0.8 | 16.9 |
| 2019-20 | PHL | 57 | 35 | 58.0 | 28.6 | 62.1 | 2.0 | 5.8 | 7.8 | 8.0 | 3.3 | 2.1 | 3.5 | 0.6 | 16.4 |
| 2020-21 | PHL | 58 | 32 | 55.7 | 30.0 | 61.3 | 1.6 | 5.6 | 7.2 | 6.9 | 2.9 | 1.6 | 3.0 | 0.6 | 14.3 |
| 2022-23 | BRK | 42 | 26 | 56.6 | 0.0 | 43.9 | 1.0 | 5.3 | 6.3 | 6.1 | 3.3 | 1.3 | 2.3 | 0.6 | 6.9 |
| 2023-24 | BRK | 15 | 24 | 58.1 | 0.0 | 40.0 | 2.1 | 5.9 | 7.9 | 5.7 | 2.4 | 0.8 | 1.8 | 0.6 | 6.1 |
| 2024-25 | BRK | 5 | 24 | 63.6 | 0.0 | 75.0 | 1.2 | 4.8 | 6.0 | 6.2 | 4.4 | 0.6 | 3.4 | 0.8 | 6.2 |
| Total | 337 | 32 | 56.1 | 13.9 | 59.0 | 1.8 | 6.0 | 7.8 | 7.4 | 2.9 | 1.6 | 3.2 | 0.7 | 14.2 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
