The NBA world was curious about Ben Simmons’ performance in the preseason game as the star debuted for the Brooklyn Nets after a long break. Although Simmons was traded to the Nets last February, a back injury and mental health issues kept him off the court for the entire season.
In his first two games, he could not put up an impressive performance, scoring 10 points, grabbing 14 rebounds, dishing out nine assists, and committing eight turnovers within a total of 44 minutes on the court.
His team, however, is not putting much pressure on him; rather the coach Steve Nash has voiced his support and cooperation for Ben. He said, “We’ll be patient with Ben because he is an incredibly talented and unique player, but he’s not going to be at his best in the short term and he’s just got to continue to slog through this period of returning to play and getting his confidence, timing and rhythm back.”
The team intends to go easy on this 26-year-old guard as he makes a comeback after his long break and struggles with back surgery and mental health concerns. The HC Nash has faith in Simmons’ athleticism and he is prepared to let Simmons take the necessary time to get back on the track.
The coach is well aware of the fact that “He hasn’t played for a long time. He’s coming off of back surgery,” he continued, “so I think there’s some periods of indecision and confidence that he has to gain from playing. All of us do. We can’t take that much time off, join a new group and just figure it out Day 1, so he needs time.”
Nash made it clear that the team knows Simmons’ worth and they want Simmons to know that they have his back. He insisted, “Give him belief. I think we all believe in him and we all think he’ll make a huge impact, it’s just we got to give him time.
“We got to be patient with him. We hope it comes quickly, but in the event that it doesn’t, we just got to work through it, and stay patient and give him that confidence, because it’s not easy. I can’t reiterate it enough.”
While Nash sympathizes with Simmons’ situation, he also makes a suggestion for him to be more aggressive on the field. He noted, “That’s where playmaking comes from. If you’re not aggressive.” Simmons was indecisive hesitant about making move on the court in his last games. The coach wants him to bring the best out of him as he believes Simmons to be a gifted sportsman.
How far do you lend support to Nash’s optimism about Simmons? Do you think he will be able to meet the bar set for him and be back in form any time soon?
