The Brooklyn Nets are no longest the hottest team in the NBA.
Kevin Durant‘s injury took a toll on their game, and not having Kyrie Irving on the floor with a calf injury sure complicated their chances to beat the San Antonio Spurs.
That’s why most of the pressure was on their third and often-forgotten star, Ben Simmons.
Simmons was asked to shoulder a heavy load with the team’s two leading scorers nursing injuries, and while his teammates failed to pick up the slack and get the win, he still delivered.
The former first-overall pick finished the night with ten points, ten rebounds, eleven assists, four steals, and a couple of blocks, tying the legendary Bob Cousy for the 12th-most triple-doubles in NBA history (33).
Ben Simmons in the loss:
10 PTS
10 REB
11 AST
4 STL
2 BLKTies Bob Cousy for the 12th most triple-doubles of all-time. pic.twitter.com/ooeNi6SF89
— StatMuse (@statmuse) January 18, 2023
Of course, one would expect a former All-Star to be more aggressive and score more than just ten points in a game where he was supposed to lead the way.
Nonetheless, Simmons has never been known for his scoring prowess, so asking that at this point in this career is pretty much futile.
Simmons made some impressive plays on both ends of the floor, playing lockdown defense and dominating the glass to keep his team in contention every time the Spurs made a run.
But then again, one can only do so much when your team is severely undermanned, even if you’re facing one of the worst teams in the league.
Hopefully, though, Simmons will build from this effort and at least try to become more aggressive as a scorer, but we just don’t see that happening any time soon.
NEXT: Ben Simmons Discusses His Shocking Lack Of Scoring