As the Brooklyn Nets gear up for their first preseason game against the Los Angeles Clippers, head coach Jordi Fernandez made an intriguing announcement: Dennis Schroder will start alongside Ben Simmons, despite both players traditionally playing the same position.
“They played together,” Fernandez said of the two point guards. “And we’re going to go into the first game of the preseason playing with two point guards, so you guys will see that, for sure.”
Schroder shared his reaction to the lineup decision with Brian Lewis of the New York Post. “When I first got here, I played with Ben in the first scrimmage,” Schroder said. “After that, we didn’t do it too much. We competed every practice against each other, and that was great just to push ourselves and try to get as many wins as possible.”
The German guard remains optimistic about sharing the floor with Simmons. “But coach decided that we’re going to start together, and we’re going to make the best out of it,” Schroder added. “He’s an All-Star-type player, so he’s going to push the ball. [He’s] unselfish.”
Schroder also praised Simmons’ contributions on both ends of the floor. “On the defensive end, [Simmons is] playing with grit. And that’s what we need here. A lot of speed. He can bring it up, I go to the corner. If not, me and him in pick-and-roll, him setting the screen or me setting the screen. I think we can do a lot of things. Today we worked on it, and we’re going to keep building from here.“
Ben Simmons gets real about his injury struggles
While questions remain about whether this will be Simmons’ year to lead the Nets, the former All-Star sounded confident about his readiness during training camp. “I feel physically ready to play at a high level,” Simmons said when asked about his current form.
He also opened up about his injury challenges last season: “Last year, I got to the point where I was good enough to get on the court, but I wasn’t 100 percent, which was the situation. It was what it was, but at the end of the day, I’m here now, and this is the situation. I feel great. I put a lot of time and work in.”
Simmons appeared in just 15 games last season, first playing six games before being sidelined by a nerve impingement from a herniated disc. After returning to play nine more games, he was shut down again.