Former Nets guard Ben Simmons has reflected on his unhappy tenure in Brooklyn, and how he feels more comfortable with his new team, the Clippers, than he ever did during his injury-prone years with the Nets.
During a new conversation with Jared Schwartz of The New York Post (subscriber link), the 6’10” former All-Star unpacked the differences between his Brooklyn and L.A. stints.
“Feels like home, honestly,” Simmons told Schwartz. “I never really felt like New York was home for me. Being in LA, I feel like me as a person, it’s my kind of scenery or environment to be in. I think I thrive in situations like that. It was a blessing and a great experience to be in New York and experience being in New York City, there’s no city in the world like it. But I’m happy where I’m at, I love being in LA.”
In his 11 games with L.A., Simmons is averaging 4.2 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 3.5 APG, 0.9 SPG and 0.5 BPG. It’s a far cry from his All-Star peak, but the 28-year-old remains a solid, versatile defender who can pull down a rebound at will.
There’s more out of New York:
- Second-year Nets wing Dariq Whitehead‘s call-up to Brooklyn represents just the latest step in his comeback from three recent leg surgeries. Head coach Jordi Fernandez weighed in on Whitehead’s progress this season, per Erik Slater of ClutchPoints (Twitter link). “It’s a process for him,” Fernandez said. “He’s gotta buy into all these things. He shows up and works. And now, when he has these minutes, he has to take advantage of them. So learning all that is extremely important.”
- The 45-27 Knicks, currently the third seed in the Eastern Conference, have 10 games on their slate before this year’s playoffs. In a new piece, Stefan Bondy of The New York Post unpacks the seven most important questions that will face New York in the end of the 2024/25 season.
- In a fresh reader mailbag, Ian Begley of SNY.tv fields questions about Knicks All-Star guard Jalen Brunson‘s ankle health, how rookie guard Tyler Kolek can carve out a rotational role, reserve center Mitchell Robinson‘s minutes restriction, and more.