NBA

Ben Simmons Faces Criticism For ‘Not Even Looking At The Basket’ In Nets 109-98 Loss

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Zach Wolpin
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Zach Wolpin Sports Editor

Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.

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Sports Editor

Updated5 hours ago on April 26, 2024

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Nets' Ben Simmons: "I feel like I'm part of Philly still"

Last night’s loss to the Boston Celtics was the next first game of many over the next month where they will not have Kevin Durant. The glaring issue for Brooklyn is how are they going to replace the production of he nearly 30 points per game that Durant averages this season. Some thought it could be Ben Simmons, but he’s facing criticism after scoring zero points for Brooklyn last night. 

Brooklyn’s top scorer was Kyrie Irving with 24 points, but the Nets fell short in the fourth quarter after keeping it close through the first three quarters. Simmons having zero points is going to hurt the Nets if his play continues that way moving forward.

New York Sports Betting sites have the Nets at (+750) to win the Finals this season.

Ben Simmons’ zero points hurt the Brooklyn Nets last night

There’s just no denying that Ben Simmons is not the same player he once was when he played for the Sixers. His play-making abilities and defense are still top-notch, but his offensive production has not been the same since 2021. Simmons has had 20 or more points two times and over 10 points nine times this season. He averages (7.5) points per game in 2022-23.

Credit is due for Simmons in what he did well. He did have 13 assists and 9 rebounds in the game, ten of those assists coming in the first quarter. Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal had this to comment about Simmons after the game with the NBA on TNT crew.

“We need you to be aggressive. He’s not even looking at the basket. Not even looking at the basket. Kevin’s not there, I need 12, 14, 16 points, I need you to be aggressive and score…I need you to at least act like you want to score.” – Shaquille O’Neal

The Nets are not asking Simmons to go out their and replace the 30 point per game that Kevin Durant provides to the team. That just would not happen. A solid 10-14 points per game from Simmons while Durant is out could be more than beneficial for the Nets. Brooklyn’s hot shooting from deep over their previous 20 games subsided last night vs the Celtics. Their next game is Sunday vs the Oklahoma City Thunder.