The Brooklyn Nets beat the Charlotte Hornets, 116-115, on Tuesday night. Ben Simmons scored a season-high 10 points on a season-high eight field goal attempts to go along with nine rebounds, five assists, two steals and one block.
You could tell Simmons was really involved because he got into two physical altercations with Brandon Miller in the third quarter. The second time the players got together Miller even shoved Simmons and they both ended up with a technical.
Still, even a "good" Ben Simmons game is nothing more than a reminder of Ben Simmons's potential. He's a 6'10" point guard who refuses to take a shot outside the paint. On the season he's made 30 field goals, turned the ball over 32 times and been called for 34 fouls.
Yet the most jarring statistic is the fact that he's taken only four free throws this season in 269 minutes. Gabe Vincent is the only other player to have four free throws in more than 200 minutes played this season. Houston's Jae'Sean Tate has taken five in 25 minutes. Tristan Thompson has attempted six in 31 minutes this year.
Nets coach Jordi Fernandez was asked about Simmons's lack of free throws after the game last night and did an incredible job putting a positive spin on his answer.
Asked Jordi Fernandez if Ben Simmons attempting four free throws this season is concerning and whether he’s spoken with him about it:
— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) November 19, 2024
“Probably he’s very good at avoiding fouls. I don’t know. He hasn’t shot free-throws. He’s a great playmaker, he makes us play fast… If you’re… pic.twitter.com/Kn8N3zS2Co
"Probably he’s very good at avoiding fouls," said Fernandez. "I don’t know. He hasn’t shot free-throws. He’s a great playmaker, he makes us play fast. He's had, I think it was New Orleans that he had 10 assists in the first half so if you’re that good at kicking the ball ahead and finding your teammates in transition, it’s sometimes hard to find yourself dribbling into crowds. Like I said before, I want him to be aggressive and attempt more shots. So that’s my goal right now, to get him to get his attempts to go up, but I’m not worried about the free-throws. It’s like one step at a time. Probably if he attempts more shots, maybe he gets fouled more, I don’t know. But I’m not gonna be worried about it. Right now, what I know is when he’s on the court, we play faster in the fullcourt, and that to me is important for the group. So he makes us better.”
That's a coach that has your back right there.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Nets Coach Has Amazing Reason For Ben Simmons Never Shooting Free Throws.
