With the Nets returning to the court Sunday (PHT) for the first time since they sent James Harden to Philadelphia in a package for Ben Simmons, coach Steve Nash and star Kevin Durant opened up on a trade that shook the foundations of the Atlantic Division and could impact the fates of everyone in the Eastern Conference.
Simmons, after dealing with a series-crushing case of the yips, has sat out the entirety of the 2021-22 thus far. But as the Nets begin to ramp up toward his return, Nash pointed out that playing next to Durant, Kyrie Irving and fellow newcomer Seth Curry, Simmons’ shot-making has downshifted in the priority list:
“Ben does 1,000 things on the basketball court, and shooting is not one that I’m dying to see,” Nash said. “He’s an All-Star basketball player and has incredible potential to affect games with all the other things he does … I want him to get out there and be dynamic.”
As for Durant, the All-NBA forward said Harden “doesn’t have to explain anything to anybody. He’s his own man, and makes his decisions on his career himself.” But Durant is glad the team “got this thing done” and can move past the “noise”, allowing their focus to shift toward the playoff pursuit and correcting course amidst a 10-game slide.
