NBA

Nets Kyrie Irving Visibly Begs Ben Simmons To Shoot The Ball On Open Shot

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

The Brooklyn Nets lost 110-99 to the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night. Brooklyn will return to the Barclays Center tonight to square up against Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks. 

One of the biggest storylines coming out of yesterday’s game was Nets guard Kyrie Irving being visibly upset with his teammate Ben Simmons. Irving drove to the basket and flipped a pass to Simmons who bobbled it and had a chance at a relatively easy shot.

Kyrie made the “what are you doing gesture” to Simmons when he passed the ball to Kevin Durant who was able to score on a mid-range pull-up near the free-throw line. It’s clear that Simmons is still working out some kinks early in the season.

Ben Simmons is still trying to get back to his all-star capability

There’s a big reason the Brooklyn Nets are 1-3 to start the season. Yes, they’ve played some tough teams, but it’s obvious that Simmons is hesitant when he has the ball in his hands. He get’s zero respect near the three-point line and the defender is almost standing on the free-throw line when they’re guarding him.

His teammate Irving still has his back though and won’t tolerate the slander that Simmons is getting.

“He hasn’t played in two years. Give him a f**ing chance.” – Nets all-star Kyrie Irving talking about Ben Simmons

The stats don’t lie when it comes to the lack of Simmons production and hesitation to score. He’s the only starter in the league with more than 100 minutes played, but fewer than 25 points and 25 rebounds. It doesn’t help that Simmons has fouled out in two of the Nets games this season.

For Brooklyn, their two main scoring options are Kevin Durant and Kyire Irving. Simmons should be that third option for the Nets who can take advantage of smaller defenders and also use his elite passing skills. He’s averaging just 5.3 points per game but there’s still time to improve. Brooklyn will need it sooner than later from Simmons if they don’t want to fall far behind.