Brooklyn Nets point guard/forward Ben Simmons, who was roasted by NBA on TNT commentators Shaquille OâNeal and Charles Barkely for his zero point performance against the Celtics in early January has done it again. What has he done exactly? If you guessed led the Brooklyn Nets to a hard fought victory, stepping up to fill a void left by the Netsâ best player Kevin Durant, then you guessed wrong. If you guessed that Ben Simmons scored zero points (yet again) in the Netsâ loss to the Pistons on Thursday, then congratulations â your skills in observing one of the NBAâs most inscrutable mysteries, namely why Ben Simmons seems to have such an egregious aversion to scoring points, are on point. Bonus points and our deepest sympathies if youâre actually a Nets fan and have to endure what must be a rollercoaster of emotions (including what we assume must be overwhelming frustration) in watching Simmons play this season.
Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn seemed to share in that frustration in the post-game press conference following the Netsâ surprising 130-122 loss to the Pistons, the latter of whom currently have the second worst record in the NBA.
âThe expectations, what we always talk about, was to win this basketball game. The people who suited up, the people who played, the people who stepped on the floor had an opportunity to impact the basketball game for their teammates,â Vaughn said. Thatâs the objective every single time we step on the floor. We were expecting to win tonight, thatâs the goal.
âWhether itâs a back-to-back â I remember four in five nights, three in four, four in six, doesnât matter. you do whatâs necessary, whether thatâs taking care of your body, the mental part of it, the work that goes on between days off, days off, between games, game day, to get yourself in a position to win. Thatâs why we do this thing.â
Vaughn seemed to roll his eyes when mentioning that Ben Simmons was out for âknee soreness,â an injury which Simmons seemed to suffer following a play where he guarded Jaden Ivy on the perimeter. The Pistons rookie accidentally swiped Simmons in the eye during a drive to the basket. Simmons checked out of the game following the eye poke, returned to the locker room and did not return. The Nets noted âknee sorenessâ rather than âeye injuryâ as the cause for Simmons not returning.

âI think the goal in my eyes is for everyone to play every game and to do whatâs necessary to be prepared to play every game,â Vaughn added. âThereâs a certain amount of minutes that each individual played in Philly, some equally tonight. So the preparation that it takes going into that, you just have to give credit to the guys who were prepared to play, ready to play, did what was necessary to get their bodies ready.â
Vaughn benched Simmons in the fourth quarter of the Netsâ 137-133 loss to Simmonâs former team, the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday. Ironically enough, Simmons finished that game with 12 points, 5 assists and 5 rebounds on 71.4% from the field but was benched for âlack of aggressionâ on the offensive end, particularly in the fourth quarter with the game on the line, according to Vaughn.
âI think overall itâs the message I kind of talked about before the game. Weâre going to get every guy, and thatâs including Ben [Simmons] to value every possession,â Vaughn said on Wednesday following the loss. âTo play hard every possession. And just because you play the first half, it doesnât mean youâre going to play the second half.â
Are you surprised that Ben Simmons scored zero points in Netsâ loss to Pistons on Thursday? Do you think Simmons needs to show more aggression on the offensive end for the Nets, particularly in the absence of Kevin Durant? Let us know in the comments.