1 Stud, 1 Dud from Brooklyn Nets Ugly Opener vs New Orleans Pelicans

Brooklyn Nets Dud From Loss vs New Orleans Pelicans: Ben Simmons

Re-acclimating Ben Simmons to an NBA environment will take time. You expect some rust and growing pains at this stage. However, fouling out after 23 minutes of burn is unacceptable no matter how you cut it.

After the game, Simmons chalked his foul trouble up to being “too excited.” That’s understandable, but man, it’s hard to point the finger at anyone other than him right now.

Aside from that, his three turnovers and four points on a meager three shot attempts also struck as concerning last night. He never looked to attack the basket, even with Zion Williamson showing him how to do exactly that, barbecuing him on several occasions along the block.

Let me reiterate, patience is the only way forward with Simmons. To throw in the towel now on him would be beyond foolish. But there’s still a level of accountability that needs to be met. The bar was low last night with it being game one, but he still missed it.

That’s rough to stomach and therefore any calls on him to improve are well warranted. At least there’s nowhere to go but up from this point.