Ben Simmons’ debut for the Brooklyn Nets against the New Orleans Pelicans was terrible. In the season opener, the Brooklyn Nets suffered a beatdown from the Pelicans, 130-108: in 23 minutes of play, Ben Simmons recorded these stats; four points, five assists, five rebounds, and fouled out. On top of that, he has a point differential of -26. For those who do not know, a point differential in the NBA is the numerical gap between points scored and allowed.  

I interviewed Austin Rogers and Brock Wright about Simmon’s debut and asked them a few questions. I asked, “What do you think about Ben Simmons’ debut for the Nets?” Austin’s response, “I don’t think he did as good as he should have. I mean he only put up four points, and the team lost.”  Brock’s response, “Not good, but it’s not that surprising either. I saw that he had a rough night; I think those will continue for him.” The second question asked was, “Speaking of the Nets, do you think they could be contenders?”  Austin’s response, “Well, at the beginning of the season, yeah. I’d say they could have been, but looking at how they have been playing recently, I don’t think they are.” Brock’s response, “I do. Anytime you have Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant on the same team: they can overcome a tough start. So, there’s plenty of time to figure that out; they can be contenders.” The third question I asked was, “Is Ben Simmons happy with the Nets?” Austin’s response, “Ben Simmons isn’t happy even playing basketball.” Brock’s response, “At this point, I don’t think Ben Simmons is happy anywhere. Especially in a place like the Nets, where he can’t be the star. So, no, I do not think Ben is happy there.”  

I agree with Austin and Brock. He did a terrible job, especially on the offensive side. Also, the Brooklyn Nets are definitely not a team Ben Simmons should be a part of-at least for the time being. Needless to say, this matters because Ben Simmons is considered to be a big asset to the Brooklyn Nets.