The Brooklyn Nets were somehow able to lose to the Detroit Pistons on Thursday night, shocking fans of both teams with a rough 130-122 defeat.
They have now lost six of their last eight games and are tied for fourth place in the Eastern Conference.
Obviously, there was enough blame to go around on the Nets roster but one player is being singled out.
Ben Simmons checked out of the game in the third quarter because of left knee soreness.
But he wasn’t doing much on the floor before his exit.
For the night, Simmons had 0 points, 1 rebound, and 7 assists.
I think it’s time for Brooklyn to start limiting Ben Simmons’s minutes. He’s consistently the sixth, seventh, or eight best player on the floor for the team each night. Treat him accordingly.
— Collin Helwig (@collinhelwig) January 27, 2023
NBA writer and Nets fan Collin Helwig let his opinions about Simmons be known following the loss.
“I think it’s time for Brooklyn to start limiting Ben Simmons’ minutes,” he said.
He added, “He’s consistently the sixth, seventh, or eight best player on the floor for the team each night. Treat him accordingly.”
This latest bad night follows another immediately before it.
On Wednesday night, Simmons was benched in the fourth quarter due to what head coach Jacque Vaughn called a lack of aggression.
What is next for Simmons?
This season has had some good moments for the former All-Star but he’s been playing lackluster basketball for weeks now and the scrutiny around him has only grown.
His trade value is lower than ever and it sounds like his teammates and coach are getting sick of him too.
It’s not too late for the star to turn it around and redeem himself.
But he is going to have to dig deep, get healthy, get inspired, and remind people of the talent he has.
Thursday night was the third time this season that he had zero points in a game.
Many people have lost all patience with Simmons.
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