Yesterday, Harden made a perfect Philadelphia debut, scoring a quasi-triple-double of 27 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds to help the 76ers beat the Timberwolves with a huge 31-point difference. The sheer strength the 76ers have shown makes them look more like the winners of the deal. Now the pressure came to the Nets, and today Irving led the team alone against the Bucks, who were fully played, and until the end of the third quarter, the Nets still led by 4 points. Since the trade deadline, the Nets' game temperament has indeed improved. During the absence of the Big Three, Curry Jr. and Drummond supported the Nets' offensive and defensive system, although the record is still no improvement, but at least it can be seen that the current Nets are indeed a championship team.
In the Nets' plan, Simmons was the firefighter of the Big Three, and he was a player who could make a comeback in a short period of time, but the opposite happened, and Simmons's professionalism was once again questioned. According to a Nets management source, Ben Simmons suffered a back injury during his recovery training, Simmons needs some time to recover from his back injury, and the Nets currently have no fixed timeline for Simmons' return. This news is even worse for the Nets. This completely disrupted the Nets' plans, and its short-term goals were difficult to achieve. The main reason why the Nets made this trade before the trade deadline was to stop the loss in time, on the other hand, the Nets valued the stability of Simmons' team.
The Nets see Simmons as a key player to turn the tide. Before the trade, the Nets had an 11-game losing streak, and they thought Simmons was a plug-and-play player, but they didn't expect Simmons to recover on the same level as Durant, perhaps longer. In this way, Simmons's professionalism is indeed as inferior as rumored. Irving and Simmons have had basically the same truce this season, yet Irving has maintained a standard body shape and daily training intensity. After the Nets announced the recall of Irving, it took Irving only a week to adjust to the intensity of the game and was able to play. Owen may really have faith that we can't understand, but his professionalism is unquestionable.
Today's situation in Simmons is most likely caused by self-indulgence and lack of training during the truce. It's been nearly 8 months since the end of the playoffs, and if Simmons doesn't maintain regular training, it's almost impossible for him to adapt to the intensity of the NBA in a short period of time. Now suffering from a back injury, it may also be caused by the Nets' hasty recovery training. Although back injuries do not cause much problem, their recovery time is not short. Referring to the Warriors' dream-chasing Green, he has been suspended for nearly 30 games and has no comeback schedule yet. Now it seems that the prospects for Simmons' return are not clear.
The Nets seem to have won the future in this deal, but Simmons is not at ease, and the fans in New York City are not more tolerant than the fans in Philadelphia, not to mention that the Nets have such an unstable factor as Irving. The Nets' short-term goal of swapping Simmons has not been achieved, but they have not given up this season, which may force Durant to make an early comeback. Signing Dragic shows that the Nets still want to do well in the playoffs. Even though New York City is gradually lifting the ban, the time when Irving can really play full-time has not yet been determined, and if this time is after the playoffs, then the Nets really have to rely on Durant to fight alone in the rest of the time.
Durant's injury was on Jan. 15 and his estimated recovery time is one month. According to the Nets' past approach, Durant should be a minor injury, but the Nets' playoff seat is currently in jeopardy, and Durant is afraid to make an early comeback. Before today's game, Nash said in an interview: "Durant's high-intensity training today did not have problems, he will be able to come back soon. "After a series of operations by the Nets, it is ultimately up to Durant to solve the problem, do these operations really make sense? Simmons' recovery has become Max's next headache.