Fourth in the Eastern Conference, tied with the Magic and the Bulls, the Nets are one of the nice surprises of this start of the season, and if Dennis Schroder and Cam Thomas are there to fuel the brand, they are both benefiting from the return to the foreground of Ben Simmons. Finally free of his back problems, the former All-Star is gradually regaining his sensations, and last night, against the Bulls, he came close to a triple-double with 8 points, 11 assists and 8 rebounds in 26 minutes. Even if he still tends to make stupid mistakes, the Australian finishes with the best evaluation of his team: +25.
“I am very satisfied with his level of play” reacted Jordi Fernandez. “He accepts to play physical and he is aggressive in defense, and even if for the moment, we make a lot of mistakes, we deal with it. I’m not really worried. » After five matches, Simmons averages 4.4 fouls per 25 minutes. It’s a lot. Just like his number of lost balls: 3.2 per match. But like his coach, he deals with it.
Accuracy will come with repetition and practice
“It’s about repetitions, making mistakes, losing a lot of balls, and frankly, it’s useful” he assures. “When I lose a ball, I see the negative but also the positive. Of course, you don’t want to lose the ball, but you learn from your mistakes, and I hope that I will benefit from more matches to become more and more accustomed to my teammates. »
Same analysis for his faults. The more he plays, the more he will regain his previous reflexes, and avoid being trapped by an attacker. “I just try not to be too physical and know when I can be and when I can’t.” he continues. “In the NBA, guys can score, but I try to make it difficult for them while maintaining that intensity. It’s different when you start against a physical player, an inside player, and then have to switch to a fullback. You have to be careful about that. Training is the most important to me, the more reps I have the better I will be. »
