Ben Simmons ‘extremely impressive’ in return as Nets crush Jazz،
NEW YORK — Playing for the first time in 38 games, Brooklyn Nets forward Ben Simmons made an impressive return to the court Monday night against the Utah Jazz, finishing with 10 points, 8 rebounds, 11 assists, a steal and no turnovers in 18 minutes in a 147-114 Nets victory at Barclays Center.
Simmons, out since Nov. 6 because of a lower back nerve injury, had an assist to Royce O'Neale on a 3-pointer six seconds after checking the game midway through the first quarter. He finished plus-27 on the night and provided the Nets with the size and pace to help Brooklyn win for just the fifth time in their last 17 games. This is the first time Brooklyn has won two games in a row since late December.
“We got the win, so yeah,” Simmons said when asked if it was a successful comeback. “That’s the main goal for me, and that’s really all that matters to me.”
The No. 1 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, Simmons had not completed a full workout with the Nets before his return Monday, although he did participate in a few workouts with Brooklyn's G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets, in a few days before his return.
Before the game, Nets coach Jacque Vaughn said Simmons would come off the bench and play for “short” periods, and that's how this one played out, with Simmons checking in for about five minutes in the middle of each quarter.
And Simmons, who averaged 6.5 points, 10.8 rebounds and 6.7 assists for Brooklyn in six games over the first two weeks of the season before being sidelined due to 'back problem, looked like the same player as before the injury.
He managed to pick up the pace offensively, getting six assists in the first quarter alone, and attacked the boards on both ends as well. And while he remains a total non-factor as a potential shooter outside of the immediate vicinity of the basket, he went 5-of-5 from the field on a variety of layups and dunks.
Simmons went to stand in the tunnel between his passes on the court, later saying he did it in an attempt to stay free because he wasn't used to coming off the bench.
“I just push the pace,” Simmons said of his mindset while on the court. “I don't think a lot of teams are ready for a team that pushes the ball every time down the field. It allows guys to do crossover matchups, different matchups that you want for us offensively. And then just read the defense and see what they're going to give us.”
Overall, it was a very encouraging performance, especially considering how long Simmons had been out before Monday's game. The Nets not only scored those 147 points, but also had 41 assists and shot 21 of 45 from 3-point range.
“Extremely impressive,” said Nets coach Jacque Vaughn — who, according to ESPN's Stats and Information Group, was the last Net to have at least 11 assists and no turnovers coming off the bench in a match, in 2004 – about Simmons. performance. “Other people played so well tonight because of the impact of Ben Simmons. It’s as simple as that.
“The looks we had tonight, the number of threes we had tonight, the fast break points we had tonight, the uncontested looks we had tonight, the pace we played with …we did it on both ends of the field. And Ben deserves a huge amount of credit for the way he played tonight.
The nerve issue is just the latest in a series of injury issues Simmons has faced over the past three years, after missing the 2021-22 season between a trade request from the Philadelphia 76ers and a problem back. He only played 42 games last season before being shut down early due to another nerve issue.
Vaughn declined before Monday's game to say how long it would take Simmons to increase his minutes in the future, saying the goal was just to get through this first game and go from there. But after Monday's successful return, Simmons said he's looking forward to a long run on the field and hopes his back problems are behind him.
“People don’t see the work that goes on behind the scenes,” Simmons said. “So it took a lot of effort and patience and time to get back to where I am now. Every day, every morning, every day, I'm working to get back on the field. It's not online. You don't see that. So for me and everyone who has seen that and seen my discipline over the last couple of months, it's great to see that it's paying off.
While the Nets got Simmons back on Monday, they were without small forward Dorian Finney-Smith, who will also miss Wednesday's game against the Phoenix Suns — the first game Kevin Durant will play at the Barclays Center since being traded to Phoenix last year last.
