Ben Simmons made his long-delayed Nets debut in Monday’s preseason opener. They didn’t get the win, however they lastly bought one thing significantly better — a wholesome Massive 3.
After Simmons missed all of final season with psychological well being woes and a nasty again, and Kyrie Irving’s stance in opposition to the COVID-19 vaccine restricted him to simply 29 video games, the pair lastly took the court docket with Kevin Durant.
The Nets misplaced, 127-108, to Philadelphia, the workforce from which Simmons had compelled a deadline-day commerce. The 76ers’ proximity would possibly clarify the combined response to his introduction, a smattering of boos audible within the crowd of 13,250 at Barclays Middle. However they didn’t dim his megawatt smile, or the temper behind it.
“Wonderful. I’m grateful simply to have the ability to step on a NBA ground once more. I had plenty of enjoyable on the market,” Simmons mentioned after his first recreation in 470 days. “I believed I’d be nervous, however I wasn’t nervous: I used to be excited. To have that feeling to have the ability to come out and know you’re going to play on a NBA ground particularly at Barclays with some nice gamers, it’s pleasure.”
The Nets’ Massive 3 all logged roughly 19 minutes, none within the second half. Trying rustier than the Titanic particles, Brooklyn trailed by 20 within the second quarter earlier than slicing it to 3 on the break. The 76ers pulled away with out Joel Embiid or James Harden, however scores matter little within the preseason, and Monday’s received’t matter in any respect.
The one factor anyone will bear in mind was Simmons lastly suiting up for the Nets, and their new Massive 3 lastly beginning the work of getting in sync.
“Anytime anyone comes again, it’s going to take a while,” Irving mentioned. “He’s going to like taking part in with us. … However for him to be on the market for his first recreation, and for us to expertise it with him, it’s one thing we will bear in mind for the remainder of the season, and it’s one thing we bought via. That is Day 1, extremely anticipated. I’m glad it went his approach on some straightforward baskets, and he made some nice performs. However clearly, he is aware of he has a methods to go earlier than he will get to feeling like his true self.”
Durant had a team-high 13 factors, 4 rebounds and 4 assists in 18:42, whereas Irving added 9 factors, 4 assists, 4 boards and three steals over the identical span.
Simmons, who hadn’t performed since his 76ers had been knocked out of the playoffs by the Hawks on June 20, 2021, was predictably extra of a combined bag. He had six factors, a team-high 5 assists and 4 rebounds. However he completed a minus-10, missed each of his free-throw makes an attempt and didn’t try a 3-pointer. Nonetheless, to say this small child step will find yourself being an enormous leap ahead is understating how important his return to the court docket is for the Nets.
“It was enjoyable messing up as a result of I understand how good we could be,” Simmons mentioned. “And seeing completely different seems to be and alternatives there and dealing with Kevin and Ky and Joe [Harris], seeing the place they need the ball and the way issues are going to work within the circulation. The one approach you’re going to study is by making errors. So I had a couple of on the market. I can go and watch movie and say I do know what I did flawed and how one can repair that. It’s all a studying course of for me, so it’s good.”
Simmons’ first bucket was a fast-break dunk off an Irving bounce move with 9:16 left within the first quarter. He backed that up with an important defensive play 1 ¹/₂ minutes later, chasing down speedy Philadelphia guard Matisse Thybulle in transition to show what appeared like a wide-open layup right into a turnover.
However the Nets’ failings guarding the arc had been nonetheless prevalent. They allowed 14 of Tyrese Maxey’s game-high 20 factors in a primary quarter that noticed them path, 42-26. It reached 55-35 with 8:13 left within the half.
The Nets reeled off 15 unanswered factors. By the point Simmons discovered Nic Claxton (12 factors on 6-for-6 taking pictures), that they had lower the result in 55-50.
Kessler Edwards’ 3 off a Chris Chiozza feed gave the Nets an 82-81 lead. Nevertheless it was brief lived, as Philadelphia pulled away.
The Nets allowed simply 41.1 % taking pictures — simply 36.6 % general and 23.3 % from deep after the primary quarter. However they bought outrebounded, 55-43, in opposition to Embiid-less Philadelphia. Worse, that they had 27 turnovers resulting in 33 factors whereas getting simply 16 off the Sixers’ miscues.
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