The Brooklyn Nets opened training camp Tuesday, and with Ben Simmons healthy, there's a position battle brewing at point guard. Unlike last season, when Jacque Vaughn named Simmons the starter before camp, head coach Jordi Fernandez said the job is up for grabs. That means Simmons will have to beat out veteran floor general Dennis Schroder.
“May the best man win, honestly,” Cam Thomas said. “Whatever unit they’re on, I know they’re going to try to lead them to the most wins… But I’m confident in both guys, whoever gets the role. When you’re battling for something, you’re going to have that competitive fire and competitive spirit. I know they’re both going to give it their all, so we’ll see how it turns out.”
Simmons has been unable to stay on the floor while battling back injuries since joining the Nets. Brooklyn shut down the former No. 1 pick midway through the last two seasons. He underwent surgery to alleviate pain from a bulging disc in May, his second in two years.
Simmons has made an impact when on the floor for the Nets, although not at the level of his Philadelphia 76ers days. He's averaged 6.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 6.0 assists per game. Entering the final year of his contract at $40 million, he's still confident he can move the needle in an NBA rotation.
“I think people forget me as a player when I’m healthy. I can play basketball and I’m pretty good,” Simmons said. “For me, it's just being consistent with that and staying on top of my body and staying in these gyms with these guys.”
Although he's never approached All-Star status, Schroder presents a more reliable option. The 30-year-old has played over 60 games in each of the last 10 seasons. He started 25 of his 29 games with Brooklyn after joining the team at last year's trade deadline, averaging 14.6 points and 6.0 assists on 42/41/80 shooting splits.
Schroder is entering the final year of his contract at $13 million. Although he'll battle Simmons for minutes, he's excited to see the three-time All-Star attempt to silence his critics.
“He’s my teammate, at the end of the day,” Schroder said. “When he went through rough times in Philly, I reached out to him. I didn’t even know him, but I reached out to him and told him to stay positive… Now we play together, and I want to make the most out of it.”
“Even when I got traded here, because I thought he was healthy, I wanted to play more minutes with him on the court. In minicamp we had a whole week where we played together, and it looked great. So, I’m really excited about him being healthy. All the noise and social media what everybody is saying about him, I’m really looking forward to him shutting everybody up because he’s really ready, and he’s looked good, and he’s going to help us.”
Will the Nets give Ben Simmons another chance as starting point guard?
While Simmons enters camp with a clean bill of health, the same was said entering last year's training camp. Despite a seven-month rehab process leading up to the season, the Aussie played just seven games before his ailing back sidelined him.
There's also the question of his fit alongside a non-shooting center in Nic Claxton. The pairing looked far from functional in their brief moments together last season, posting a 99.04 offensive rating and a -22.76 net rating in 100 minutes, per PBP Stats.
Given Simmons' lack of shooting alongside Claxton, the team was forced to play two different offensive styles as he moved in and out of the lineup. Mikal Bridges commented on this following a 136-86 loss to the Boston Celtics, the second-worst in franchise history.
How much will those fit concerns and Simmons' injury history factor into Fernandez's decision?
“Ben looks great; he looks great like everybody else. He practiced and there’s not any concerns… Ben is no different than anybody else,” the coach said. “As far as him playing with Nic, two years ago, they worked very good together. Last year, they didn’t play enough games.”
As Fernandez notes, Simmons and Claxton posted a 7.96 net rating in 517 minutes during the 2022-23 season. However, most of those minutes came alongside one or both of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, two of the greatest isolation scorers in NBA history. In their 67 minutes without Durant or Irving that season, Simmons and Claxton's net rating was -23.36.
This year's Nets do not have isolation scorers near the level of Durant and Irving. Cam Thomas is Brooklyn's only high-level shot creator, with Cam Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith, Noah Clowney and Jalen Wilson acting as floor-spacers. Schroder could also play alongside Simmons in spurts.
Can that group run a functional halfcourt offense with Simmons at point guard and Claxton at center?
“It’s hard to tell [at this point]. I don’t have all the answers,” Fernandez said. “So my answer is we’re about to find out… I’m not worried about trying. Because a lot of times, coaches, we have something in our heads, and a lot of times, we’re wrong, and we’ve got to see it through. Right now, I’m not gonna put limitations on anybody, especially on a group that is playing very hard, especially on two players that are special. So I’m about to find out, and then I’ll do what’s best for the team.”
Fernandez will make his first point guard decision when the Nets open the preseason against the Los Angeles Clippers on Oct. 8 in San Diego. Brooklyn has five practices before them, and the first-time head coach will give Simmons and Schroder every opportunity to compete.
“I want to be put in a tough spot,” Fernandez said. “These are two really good players. They both want to start, and that's what I want. I want to create healthy competition within the group, and then from there, make me decide. Do I want to play with one? Do I want to play with the other? Or do I want to play with two point guards? I'm okay either way, and if they don't meet the expectations, they won't be the starting point guard.”
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