Ben Simmons is off to a poor start to the 2022-23 season with the Brooklyn Nets. He is averaging just 7.0 assists, 6.0 rebounds and 5.7 points per game so far. Additionally, his amount of fouls per game is just one less than his points, which earned him a dubious historic feat.
Justin Kubatko of Basketball Reference pointed out that Simmons is the first player since Matt Geiger in the 1995-96 season to foul out twice in the first three games of a season. He also mentioned that Simmons' number of personal fouls exceeded his number of shots in both contests. He has 14 fouls to just seven field goals so far.
Ben Simmons has fouled out of two games this season. He recorded more personal fouls than FG attempts in both of those games.
The last NBA player to record two such disqualifications within the first three games of a season was Matt Geiger in 1995-96. pic.twitter.com/fQtcJANaRW
— Justin Kubatko (@jkubatko) October 25, 2022
Although Simmons' last foul call was a bit controversial, his play so far this season looks brutal. It is a bit understandable that he needs time to get re-adjusted to the NBA but the ways in which he is failing are already infuriating Nets fans. His passiveness on offense and inability to shoot are already causing problems for Brooklyn. He will have to be more than just a solid defender and playmaker in order to be a real difference-maker.
The Nets are 1-2 with a last-place defensive rating so far this season. They have plenty of time to figure out how to maximize Ben Simmons but so far, he does not look like the star they traded James Harden for. As Brooklyn looks to make a playoff run, they will have to figure out their spacing concerns when Simmons and Nic Claxton share the floor.
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