Ben Simmons being stuck in a slump has placed Kevin Durant and the others in the mantle of frustration.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski relayed on Friday that Durant and the other Brooklyn Nets players are disgruntled on Simmons’ current status of having hardships due to his knee injury.
“Ben Simmons has been a source of frustration for Kevin Durant, for others on the Nets so far, because he’s been unable to stay on the floor with a knee injury, but prior to that, he has shown that he’s a long way away from being back to an impactful player,”
“There’s no indication right now that Ben Simmons is close to being back to anywhere near the player he once was.”
With Kyrie Irving barred from playing for at least five games due to circling antisemitic controversies, Simmons’ presence could have been a major help. But his ongoing unavailability can only be truly frustrating on how Durant will approach the carrying the heavy load of the franchise.
Simmons has been out since late October due to a knee injury. Amid being active on the roster for the early portion of the team’s 2022-23 season, his contributions were plain passive. He only posts 6.2 points, 6.5 rebounds and 7.3 assists in six games while shooting 44.1 percent from the floor. And despite being a standout defensive machine back in his time in Philadelphia 76ers, he can’t help to alleviate Brooklyn’s problematic defensive rating (118.3) which ranks dead last league-wide.
It might really take some time for Simmons to regain the enjoyment, energy and enthusiasm to play the game at his best. After not playing the entirety of last season, the Nets have no choice but to trust his recovery and let him be comfortable amid hecklings.
