Things just keep getting worse for Ben Simmons. First, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving both asked out, leaving Simmons stranded on a team that went from contending to mediocre overnight.
Now, his minutes have dwindled to the point that he’s barely playing at all.
- Feb 8 vs Suns: 26 mins
- Feb 10 vs Bulls: 20 mins
- Feb 12 vs 76ers: 16 mins
- Feb 14 vs Knicks: 13 mins
When asked about the challenges of having Simmons on his team, Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn gave an extremely candid and detailed answer.
“You just take a look at what the lineups could potentially look like,” Vaughn said. “You put another big next to Ben, then you got to figure out what the spacing is around him. Then, if you put another playmaker next to him, then you got to figure out what Ben looks like without the basketball. Then if you go small with Ben, then you have to figure out can you rebound enough with him?
“So the challenges are ahead of us. We’ll look them head on. We’ll figure it out. We have the personnel to figure it out. Whether it is me mixing and matching throughout different pieces of the game, and allowing him to have a group and run with a group, that part we’ll figure out, but you see the challenges that lie ahead.”
Just to recap, Ben Simmons gives his coach headaches when he’s playing alongside big men, smaller players, and playmakers.
Great, so basically, if Ben Simmons is on your basketball team, you’re in a world of pain. And his own coach just admitted it.