Ben Simmons was so ineffective in his return from back surgery last season that he couldn’t even protest much when he was bounced from his normal position, and eventually out of Nets coach Jacque Vaughn’s rotation entirely. Simmons’ relationship with Vaughn has healed and it appears his body has, too.
Brooklyn Nets’ Ben Simmons drives past Philadelphia 76ers’ Paul Reed during the second half of a preseason NBA basketball game Monday, Oct. 16, 2023, in New York. Brooklyn Nets’ Ben Simmons looks to pass the ball during the second half of a preseason NBA basketball game against the Philadelphia 76ers, Monday, Oct. 16, 2023, in New York. Brooklyn Nets’ Ben Simmons, right, drives against Maccabi Ra’anana’s Jonathan More during a preseason NBA basketball game Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023, in New York.
If Simmons can keep it up when the games count, Brooklyn will have a player like few others in the NBA, a 6-foot-10 point guard who is quick enough to blow by most players on offense and strong enough to guard any position on defense. “He has to have his burst back. And that’s the only thing I wonder, is if he can have that,” Rivers said. “If he can’t have that, then he has to create another way of playing and that is going to be hard.”
Vaughn, who replaced the fired Steve Nash in November, had decided before then he could no longer wait on Simmons. The Nets were trying to win games and hold onto a playoff spot while overhauling the lineup after dealing Durant and Irving before the trade deadline, and Simmons wasn’t performing the way Vaughn needed.
Vaughn went to watch Simmons work out in Miami and both men say their relationship is better now. Vaughn assured Simmons, who played as a forward or backup big man last season, that the ball would be back in hands if he could physically handle it.
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