Brooklyn Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn has his work cut out for him for the remainder of the season. His rotation underwent some massive changes ahead of the trade deadline as Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant were both traded.
That has led to an influx of new players on the roster. Spencer Dinwiddie and Dorian Finney-Smith were acquired in the Irving deal from the Dallas Mavericks. From the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Kevin Durant, the Nets landed Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson.
That is four players who have been starters for the majority of their careers being added to the mix. Without Irving and Durant, there were two full-time spots open. While Vaughn will probably do some mixing and matching, in the two games they have all been available, that quartet has started along with Nic Claxton.
That has pushed Royce O’Neale and Joe Harris to the bench. Cam Thomas, who shined when the Nets were short-handed following the trades, has also seen his role shrink in the last two games.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Ben Simmons & Brooklyn Nets Updates
But, there may not be a player on the roster impacted as much by the blockbuster trades as Ben Simmons. Simmons has seen his role drastically reduced when the Nets had their full complement of players and Vaughn admitted that there will be challenges ahead in finding him playing time.
“It’s going to be some work that we have to do,” Vaughn said. “Because you just take a look at what the lineups could potentially look like. You put another big next to Ben, then you got to figure out what the spacing is around him. Then if you put another playmaker next to him, then you got to figure out what Ben looks like without the basketball. Then if you go small with Ben, then you have to figure out can you rebound enough with him?
“So, the challenges are ahead of us. We’ll look at them head-on. We’ll figure it out. We have the personnel to figure it out. Whether it is me mixing and matching throughout different pieces of the game, and allowing him to have a group and run with a group, that part we’ll figure out, but you see the challenges that lie ahead.”
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Ben Simmons & Brooklyn Nets Updates
Simmons played a season-low 13 minutes against the New York Knicks on Monday night as the Nets were blown out, 124-106. That loss snapped a nine-game winning streak over their crosstown rivals and looks to be a troubling trend for Simmons when it comes to his playing time.
On Saturday, against the Philadelphia 76ers, he played only 16 minutes. In both instances he wasn’t an option for late in the game, sitting the final several minutes of the fourth quarter. Without the star power of Irving and Durant to draw attention away from Simmons, playing him will have some difficulties.
Against the Knicks’ high-flying offensive attack, Vaughn was looking for combinations that could try and keep up with their scoring. Simmons isn’t going to help in that regard, as he scored only two points with three rebounds and two assists. He also had a backbreaking turnover early in the fourth quarter that led to a Josh Hart layup.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Ben Simmons & Brooklyn Nets Updates
“With Brunson being out there, trying to throw different bodies with him,” Vaughn said. “We’re always concerned about [rebounding], so didn’t want Ben to be the lone big out there. We tried him with another big; I didn’t like that rhythm of the game because we weren’t scoring enough at that time. A lot of different problems thrown at you in the course of a game; you try to figure them out.”
Given the current makeup of the roster, there is a real possibility that Simmons sees his minutes cut even further. Unable to make an impact offensively, he is no longer making up for it with his level of performance defensively.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Ben Simmons & Brooklyn Nets Updates
The Nets could be better off giving those minutes to someone else, such as Yuta Watanabe, who would lead the NBA in 3-point shooting percentage had he qualified. This has been quite a fall from grace for Simmons, who doesn’t seem to have a fit on this deep Nets roster.
Want the latest in NBA analysis, breaking news, and insider information? Click Here.
