Ben Simmons wants to win. He wants to win even if that goes by the Brooklyn Nets front office’s expectation. We can’t call it desperate if a team stands as the 12th seed in the Eastern Conference with a 13-26 record.
Recently, as reported by the NY Posts’ Brian Lewis, Simmons has made his feelings unequivocally clear towards the Nets’ front office. The reaction came following their narrow overtime loss to the Utah Jazz. In a candid expression of his frustration, Simmons articulated that despite the team’s current rebuilding phase, there should still be an uncompromised motto to competing fiercely every game.
“I know this is kind of like a rebuild situation, but we’ve got to go in there like we want to win regardless of what the front office is expecting,” Simmon said.
Ben Simmons doesn’t want to tank
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) January 13, 2025
“We’ve got to go in there like we want to win regardless of what the front office is expecting.” 👀
(Via @NYPost_Lewis ) pic.twitter.com/tSwOzLVgRq
Obviously, there has been a lot happening at the Brooklyn camp. Their salary cap situation has long been there and they’ve seen a player cut as well. With a hard cap of $178.1 million and a luxury tax threshold of $170.8 million in the 2024-25 season, their options are limited.
Despite his struggle, Simmons has kept his cool and focused on what matters the most for the team. Even during the Jazz game, the star small forward contributed 14 points, nine assists, and six rebounds. To add up to that, he is handsomely executing plays, and his defending efficiency is going better. He currently averages 6.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 7.0 assists per game, coupled with an impressive shooting percentage of 55.9%.
Brooklyn Nets Coach Makes His Thought Clear On Ben Simmons
In the wake of a challenging loss to Utah, Nets coach Jordi Fernandez faced questions about Ben Simmons’ availability for the upcoming games. With Simmons not yet cleared to participate in back-to-back contests and the team set to play the Trail Blazers on Tuesday, followed by the Clippers on Wednesday, Fernandez’s response was notably playful.
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“It’s my secret,” Fernandez said. “We probably have. We probably haven’t,” he added.
Ben Simmons after last nights loss to the Utah Jazz 👀
— Cody Mallory (@RealCodyMallory) January 13, 2025
“I know this is kind of like a rebuild situation, but we’ve got to go in there like we want to win regardless of what the front office is expecting.” pic.twitter.com/W1pfcqsgyy
The Nets have been dealing with several injuries, notably missing important players like Cam Johnson, D’Angelo Russell, and Cam Thomas during their recent games. Russell, nursing a right shin contusion, missed his fourth consecutive game against the Jazz. Similarly, Johnson has been sidelined with an ankle injury.
Fernandez expressed optimism about their recovery, describing both players as “day-to-day” and hinting at a potential plan to perhaps rest Simmons strategically, depending on Russell’s readiness to contribute against the Clippers.
Meanwhile, amid these injuries, young forward Tosan Evbuomwan has stepped up impressively. He tied his career-high with 22 points in the game against Utah, including critical free throws in the closing moments of the tight contest. Fernandez praised Evbuomwan’s contributions and indicated that he would likely see increased minutes moving forward.
