The Brooklyn Nets are rusty after yet another defeat this time a 109-80 pounding by the Miami Heat. It’s the second loss in preseason to what was a whirlwind offseason for the Nets.
During the offseason the Nets suffered from trade rumors surrounding star player Kevin Durant and injuries to Kyrie Irving and Joe Harris. One player who did return was Ben Simmons.
After 480 days away from an NBA court, Ben Simmons is trying to make up for lost time, but his performance against the Heat was dismal. Simmons had only 4 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists in 25 minutes. Simmons is stressing patience to the Nets faithful.
Ben Simmons on his progress ahead of 2022/23 season
Ben Simmons spoke to the media after the defeat and stated, “It’s been a year… I’m coming back. Give me some time.” Kevin Durant came to the defense of his teammate, “I think he’s just finding his rhythm again. He hasn’t played in a long time, and to throw you back up in there with the game going fast?” Durant said.
“You can play pickup all you want, but once you put someone in the game, all that stuff goes out the window. So, he’s getting his legs, (a) quick move here and he’s figuring it out. It’s only going to get better from here” Durant stated.
“Looking at the box score, I took three shots, which is definitely not enough,” Simmons added. “Obviously offensively, I want to get to the post more, get some more touches down low, be more aggressive, get to the rim, get to the free throw line, which I didn’t do tonight.”