Nets' Ben Simmons surprises fans with feat not seen since prime Jason Kidd

11/12/2024 01:39 AM

Ben Simmons has, all things considered, stayed mostly healthy for the Brooklyn Nets to begin the 2024-25 season. Simmons’ stock has fallen off a cliff in recent years, but there remains a glimmer of hope that he could at least be a productive NBA player moving forward, even if he no longer could be the player he once was during his All-Star peak. And on Monday night, during the Nets’ 107-105 win over the New Orleans Pelicans, Simmons did show that he is still more than capable of being an impactful player despite coming off the bench.

In just 22 minutes of play, Simmons filled up the stat sheet, tallying six points, five rebounds, two steals, and most importantly 12 assists — with 10 of those dimes coming in the first half of play. And in so doing, Simmons somehow cracked an exclusive club that only one of the greatest players in Nets franchise history is a part of.

According to StatMuse on X (formerly known as Twitter), Simmons became just the second player in Nets history to put up at least six points, five rebounds, 12 assists, and two steals in under 30 minutes of play, joining Jason Kidd as the only players to do so.

Kidd, back on April 9, 2002 in a 101-88 win for the Nets over the Washington Wizards, had his way in just 28 minutes of play. He put up 21 points, eight rebounds, 12 assists, and two steals, but the Nets did not need him to do more since they had the game against the Wizards wrapped up early on in what proved to be an easy win.

The most promising part of Simmons’ impressive outing against the Pelicans is that he is still very capable of dishing the rock with the best of them. As long as he can stay reasonably healthy moving forward, he is very much worthy of a roster spot, and the Nets will very pleased to have someone who can share the ball and set up teammates on the floor helping extract greater value from scorers such as Cam Thomas, Cam Johnson, and Dennis Schroder.

Nets continue better-than-anticipated start to the 2024-25 season

There weren’t any high expectations placed on the Nets heading into the 2024-25 season. They brought back mostly the same roster from last season while losing one of their best players, Mikal Bridges, in a trade with the New York Knicks. But new head coach Jordi Fernandez has been getting the most out of his team, and they have been competitive on most nights.

Over the Nets’ Friday/Saturday back-to-back set, they pushed the only two Eastern Conference teams with a record above .500 in the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers to the brink, which is not something that many teams can say. It has been a team effort for the Nets, and they have been described in many circles as “plucky” — the perfect adjective.

Ben Simmons, to his credit, has been very productive in the bench role the Nets have given him over his past two games. He is averaging 7.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 10 assists since his move to a reserve role.

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