Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sport
Joseph Salvador

Irving Shares His Message for Simmons After Rough Debut

Ben Simmons made his regular season debut with the Nets Wednesday night in the team’s season-opener, but it was a less than ideal start in his new home. Simmons finished the game with just four points after fouling out, and afterwards Kyrie Irving was asked what the team can do to better get him involved early on in a game. 

“He just gotta get reps and minutes. I think it’s as simple as that,” Irving said. “We told him in the locker room he is a valuable piece for us and we need him out there and fouling out is not an option. 

“Playing aggressive is something that we want him to do, but we also want to play smart, and we can hold each other accountable in that locker room, which I’m glad for,” he continued. “So we talked about it.”

Simmons’ night finished with just three shot attempts in 23 minutes of action as the Pelicans cruised to a 130–108 victory. 

Watch the Nets all season long with fuboTV. Start your free trial today.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.