Ben Simmons failing to elevate role in Nets offense without Kevin Durant

Ben Simmons failing to elevate role in Nets offense without Kevin Durant

The loss of the Nets’ brightest star has shown an unflattering light on their fading star. 

Without Kevin Durant, the Nets have asked for more from all their contributors. Kyrie Irving has been carrying the offense. Nic Claxton has been molding himself into a star. Role players such as Seth Curry and Yuta Watanabe stepped up in the first seven games since Durant hurt his knee. 

But while the Nets’ offense has changed without Durant, Ben Simmons hasn’t. The glimpses have been there, surfacing in Wednesday’s third quarter in Philadelphia. Simmons finally attacked the rim and resembled the playmaker he was years ago with the 76ers, scoring 10 points on 4-for-5 shooting around the hoop. 

But that outburst followed a scoreless first half and preceded a silent fourth quarter, when Simmons rode the bench late because, head coach Jacque Vaughn said, he needed more spacing on the court. 

Simmons, a 26-year-old, three-time All-Star who was the chief return in last year’s James Harden trade, has been benched late in games. Vaughn said it is his job to figure out how best to motivate Simmons, and he does not believe this benching trend will last. 


Ben Simmons
Ben Simmons has struggled to elevate his role in the Nets offense since Kevin Durant went down. Getty Images
Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant has been sidelined with a sprained MCL. AP

“I think he is working towards becoming a guy that is consistently, on a nightly basis, impacting the basketball game on both ends of the floor,” Vaughn said before the Nets played the Pistons at Barclays Center on Thursday. 

When Durant and Irving, surrounded by Claxton and the Nets’ perimeter shooting, were together, Simmons was free to serve as the team’s Draymond Green: a versatile, excellent defender with great court vision and no jump shot. Simmons appeared to embrace the complementary role and thrived while his team did, too. 

But Durant spraining his MCL on Jan. 8 has forced the Nets’ offense to evolve. Entering play Thursday, Claxton was averaging about 3 1/2 more shots per game since Durant went down. Irving was putting up three more shots than his average. Simmons had yet to accept a larger role, still averaging just 6.2 shots — a measly bump from the 6.0 he had been attempting — since Durant’s injury. 

The Nets know there is another version of the former star lurking within him. They saw it Wednesday, when Simmons came out in the second half looking to attack. 

“He just made a choice. He just made a choice to put his head down and be aggressive for our team and we need him to do that,” Irving said Wednesday. “[He] came to the bench and we were just encouraging him as we do every day. When he’s aggressive like that, being Ben Simmons, then we look very, very good and it gives us opportunities that sometimes we don’t get if he’s not.” 


Ben Simmons shoots during the Nets' loss to the 76ers on Jan. 26
Ben Simmons shoots during the Nets’ loss to the 76ers on Jan. 26 Getty Images

A year ago, Simmons was available on the trade market because he had refused to report to the 76ers, citing mental health concerns following a disastrous playoff loss. He never suited up for the Nets last season, though he and the team blamed a back issue that needed to be surgically corrected in the offseason. 

Simmons is again playing, but not playing like the uniquely gifted, creative creator he had established himself to be. Vaughn said with all players, there can be a mental component to why they struggle. The more Simmons struggles, the more questions will surface about his mental health. 

“With Ben … a lot of things, you become what you think about,” Vaughn said. “And so if you’re thinking about playing with force, if you’re thinking about being a good teammate, if you’re thinking about being unselfish, if you’re thinking about cheering for your fellow co-workers, a lot of times you become that person.” 

Simmons has not been that person all season. Maybe Durant’s expected return next month calms the nerves around him for a while, but nerves — and intentional hacking — could await in the postseason. 

The Nets likely will be entering the playoffs with a pair of critical problems at the foul line. Simmons entered play shooting 44.6 percent from the line, while Claxton was knocking free throws down at a 46.4 percent clip, already attacked once by the Warriors’ Hack-A-Clax strategy. 

The Nets have to figure out how to get more out of Simmons, both offensively and at the line. 

“I do have to believe this group, Ben in particular, will get to that position,” Vaughn said.