Contenders or Pretenders? Figuring out where the Brooklyn Nets stand

Why the Brooklyn Nets are pretenders

Simmons may be exhibit A in the case of the Nets’ being a pretender. Simmons has all the talent in the world but hasn’t really shown much of it, dating back to the 2021 playoffs when he had an infamous meltdown. After missing all of last season, he’s back and early returns have been underwhelming.

He’s been mired in foul trouble and is virtually a non-existent scoring threat. The Nets need him to be the third star behind Irving and Durant, but that role appears more likely to be filled by Claxton than Simmons at the moment.

With Simmons, Irving, O’Neale, Durant, and Claxton as the team’s starters, they should be well above average on both sides of the ball, but they have a -30 net rating in their first three games. Simmons isn’t solely to blame, but two elite scorers, an athletic rim runner, and a 3-and-D wing should be smoking teams offensively.

Instead, they’re struggling. Teams simply don’t take Simmons seriously as an offensive player, and it basically makes him a center on offense. He’s also incredibly passive:

Most teams can only get away with playing one non-shooter at a time, and Claxton’s already it, so having two can really hurt spacing. Things should improve when Curry returns, but they can’t completely mask that glaring issue in Simmons’ game.

Other issues include backup center as well as general injury concerns. Irving, one way or another, will likely miss 30 games if history is any indicator. Simmons is returning from back surgery, and that will require load management as well as Durant, who will turn 34 this season and is in his 15th year. We’ve already seen a historically talented Nets team get derailed by injuries and absences, and it could just as easily happen again this season.