On April 15, Beijing time, according to The Athletic reporter Shams Charania, a number of sources revealed that Nets forward Ben Simmons plans to return during the first round of G4 to G6 against the Celtics.
Many fans have been wondering, is Simmons really that important to the Nets? If we analyze these three aspects, we know that Simmons' comeback can help the Nets.
1. Give the Nets help on the defensive end
Many fans know that although this Nets team has the offense of Irving and Durant, it has huge loopholes in the defensive end, and at the end of the season, the Nets' defensive effectiveness is 112.3, ranking 20th in the league, which is one of the reasons why the Nets have slipped from the first place in the East to the seventh place in the East this season.
Although the same in the first round of the encounter with the green team, but this season's green team compared to last season is much more mature, especially Brown and Tatum, the performance of these two on the offensive end is also becoming more and more mature, if Simmons does not come back, the Nets do not want to consume Durant and Irving's physical strength, with Seth Curry, Mills and others to defend Tatum and Brown, it is a very difficult thing, but Simmons's return, can help the Nets solve this problem, and Simmons's defensive ability is very good, last season , and Gobert competed for the best defensive player.
2. Advance the team's fast attack and share the offensive pressure
In today's Nets, no player has the ability to advance the fast attack, although the Nets can also form a small lineup, but the offense due to the lack of good organization of players, which led to the Nets' offense has not been able to speed up, Simmons's ability to organize fast attacks has long been shown in the 76ers, which can help the Nets improve the overall speed of the small lineup.
Although Simmons' projection ability is not outstanding, Simmons can also help the Nets share some of the offensive pressure for Simmons, who averages 14.2 points per game, and there is also a very good tacit understanding between Simmons and Seth Curry, last season, Seth Curry's 45% three-point shooting rate, Simmons also contributed a lot of assists, which is a very good signal for the Nets.
3. The organizational side shares the pressure of Durant and Irving
Since the Nets sent James Harden away in the middle of the season, the Nets' organizational responsibilities have always been borne by Irving and Durant, which has greatly consumed Durant and Irving, who have always played the role of ball-holding offense in the team.
Although Simmons has a very big shortcoming in projection, Simmons's organizational ability is really excellent, averaging 7.7 assists per game in Simmons' career, and in the 76ers' four seasons, he was the core organization of the team. When Simmons returns to the game, the Nets' organizational tasks can be completely entrusted to Simmons, which not only allows Irving and Durant to concentrate on the ball-holding offense, but Simmons is much better organized than Irving and Durant.
Many media are predicting that the Nets and Greens will score seven in the first round, but if Simmons can return with full blood, the probability of the Nets eliminating the Green Team is greater.