Brooklyn Nets head coach Jacque Vaugh is going to have some difficult decisions to make this NBA season when it comes to his lineup. Expectations for the team have changed drastically as they no longer have championship aspirations heading into the season.
That won’t make Vaughn’s job any easier as the roster is a bit redundant at a few positions. Deep on the wing, the Nets are lacking many ball-handling options. That is where the attention turns to Ben Simmons.
Simmons has been cleared and is 100 percent healthy heading into training camp. This is the first time in a few years that there are no distractions surrounding him, as his focus can be solely on basketball, not a contract or rehab.
That is good news for the Nets, as Simmons has shown that he can be a difference-maker on the court when healthy. But, there are some questions about how Vaughn will deploy Simmons in the lineup.
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With training camp right around the corner, we have an answer. According to Ian Begley of SNY.tv on X, formerly known as Twitter, the Nets are planning on using Simmons as a playmaker in the early going. Alas, there are some caveats to that plan.
“If Ben is able to play consistently in a certain way, there’s no doubt that he should have the basketball in his hands,” Vaughn said.
Consistent play is not something Simmons has provided in recent years as injuries have hampered his performance. His reluctance to shoot the ball is a big reason that he fizzled out with the Philadelphia 76ers as well.
Being an unwilling shooter is a detriment to the team and will make things more difficult on his teammates. But, another issue is that Simmons has no range as he isn’t spacing the floor offensively.
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With a center that offers no floor-spacing already in the lineup in Nicolas Claxton, it is fair to question if they will both be in the lineup. However, that isn’t something that bothers Vaughn, as he plans on Simmons and Claxton sharing the floor together.
In those alignments, you can be sure that those two are surrounded by shooters at the other three positions. It will be the only way they have a chance to succeed as teams are going to ignore that duo outside of the paint with their inability to make an impact outside of the restricted area.
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