The Brooklyn Nets had a rough outing in the 2023-24 NBA season. They missed the playoffs with a 32-50 record on the year. Away games were the team’s kryptonite, as they went 12-29 on the road while finishing 20-21 at home.
In games against their conference, the Nets posted a 24-28 record. Unfortunately the team ended their season on a sour note with a 107-86 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. Before that, the Nets lost to the New York Knicks 111-107 in Madison Square Garden. Despite the rough season, there is a bright spot for the Brooklyn Nets moving forward.
Brooklyn Nets Give Update on Ben Simmons
Nets’ General manager Sean Marks gave a promising update on former All-Star Ben Simmons. At new head coach Jordi Hernandez’ intro press on Wednesday, Marks said that “All signs point to” Simmons being available for the start of the Brooklyn Nets’ training camp. “With Ben it’s very unfortunate, we looked like we were a different team when Ben was healthy out there, Marks said.
He also said, “And I thin Ben wants it just as much as anybody else. But time will tell on him and he progresses through summer. There’s no reason to think he won’t be though.” The three-time all-star has had rough outings with the Nets in his few seasons with the team. Even when he returned, he was not the same player, with the player averaging just 6.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 6.0 assists per game for the Nets.
Simmons was sidelined for the rest of the 2023-24 regular season in March due to back problems. Before that, the fromer all-star only played a handful of games for Brooklyn. Simmons, who is entering year the final year of his contract, is “down in Miami” rehabbing for his ailing back according to Marks.
When he’s on the floor, Simmons has shown that he can be an excellent playmaker and active defender. On his back, he had a successful microscopic partial discectomy to help alleviate the nerve impingement in his lower back. Removing part of the problematic disc helps get to the root of his injuries.
Nets Hire New Head Coach
The team hired Jordi Fernandez by the Nets on Monday. The team is looking to get back on track after missing the playoffs for the first time in six years. The team let go of Jacque Vaughn at the All-Star break, and then Kevin Ollie finished the season as an interim head coach for the Nets.
Fernandez, who is the franchise’s 24th coach, spent the past two seasons with the Sacramento Kings as an associate head coach. He was a part of Sacramento making the playoffs for the first time since the 2006 NBA season. Last year at the Basketball World Cup, he led the Canada men’s basketball team to a bronze medal.
The Nets made five consecutive playoff appearances from 2019 to 2023. However, despite these results, Brooklyn has not found their footing sticking with a head coach. After the Nets replaced Kenny Atkinson in the 2019-2020 season, Vaughn and Steve Nash both had short tenures with Brooklyn.
If Fernandez can help the team along with Simmons being healthy, the Brooklyn Nets could make some noise for the forseeable future. Players like Cam Thomas, a hopeful return of Nic Calxton, Cam Johnson and Mikal Bridges could be a dynamic duo with a healthy Simmons for the Nets.
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