What to do with Ben Simmons?
At this point in his stint with the team, Ben Simmons' days as a member of the Nets are most likely numbered unless he can convince them otherwise. There were rumors that there existed friction among the players after Vaughn made the decision to allow Simmons to run the offense.
""He is 100 percent healthy". If Ben is able to play consistently in a certain way, there's no doubt that he should have the basketball in his hand." "Former Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn
This was more than likely the turning point that led to Vaughn being relieved of his duties as players became vocal about the decision as it more than likely caused him to lose the locker room and the trust of his players. It appears that Simmons doesn't even care about basketball at this point and it doesn't bode well for his career outlook.
Never improving is one issue but not even attempting to shoot when you have the support of your coaches and teammates is mind-boggling, to say the least. His unwillingness and inability to shoot the basketball and expecting him to efficiently run an offense just didn't make sense because it hurt the team's ability to space the floor. Not to mention opposing teams leaving Simmons open and daring him to shoot.
Simmons has a plus/minus of (-42) this season which says a lot considering the fact that we are talking about a player who was once 1st Team All-NBA Defense. Simmons, who once led the NBA in steals per game is only averaging 0.9 steals per game this season. He should still be a phenomenal defender. At 6-foot-10, with a huge wing span and with the foot speed of a guard, there is no excuse for the Nets' defense to be as atrocious with him on the floor.