Did Brooklyn Nets make a mistake not trading Ben Simmons at deadline?

Keeping Simmons was the wrong move

If it wasn’t obvious, there was a lot of grasping for straws in that last section. Keeping Simmons in Brooklyn has a chance to make a bad situation worse.

Simmons looks like a shell of his former self this season. He’s become timider than ever about scoring, let alone trying to develop more of a jumper. At times, coach Jacques Vaughn has found him to be virtually unplayable.

He’s simply not aggressive enough on the court. He doesn’t always need to be aggressive, but that would be a big advantage in standing 6-foot-10 and weighing 240 pounds. Some aggression would make him a much better player without needing a big improvement in skillset, and it’s not clear if either of those is ever coming.

His numbers are certainly grotesque considering his recent stature as a superstar. He’s averaging 6.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per game. Those rebounding and assists numbers could be better, but all of the bones with Simmons involve his scoring. It would take a long time to list all the players averaging more than seven points per game this season when seemingly anybody can get a bucket at will.

Even his free throw shooting, which was never great, is abysmal. He’s hitting 43.9 percent of his attempts from the charity stripe. His aggression almost helps there, as he’s attempting only 2.5 free throws per 100 attempts.

Simmons isn’t the same player on defense, either. He’s not picking passing lanes or using his size to protect the rim. His enthusiasm for the game appears to have been sapped from him in the last couple of years.

The possibility of his malaise on the court spreading to his young and impressionable teammates is real. If his presence hampers their development or desire to stay in Brooklyn, that could be a real problem.