Getty Markieff Morris #13 of the Brooklyn Nets speaks at the podium during a press conference at Brooklyn Nets Media Day
Ben Simmons has been playing at a much better clip in the last six games for the Brooklyn Nets. In the six five games, he is averaging 15.5 points, 5.8 assists, and 6.8 rebounds, and a block per game. This level of play is much closer to what the Nets expected after trading for him at the deadline last year.
Simmons playing at a higher level isn’t going unnoticed. The Nets were patient with him after going so long without playing and getting back into form. Now, Simmons is finding his groove and teammates such as veteran forward Markieff Morris have taken notice.
Markieff Morris Sends Strong Message About Ben Simmons Play
Following their disappointing November 23 loss to the Toronto Raptors, Nets backup forward Markieff Morris commented on the recent elevated play of their point guard Ben Simmons. Morris was asked about his recent surge and cited his time off to explain the slow start, and now that he has recovered has started to play like the player they envisioned.
“Got his legs under him. He was off for 2 years. Y’all won’t even give him a chance; y’all want to criticize him every fu-king name….Obviously y’all wouldn’t know because none of y’all played in the NBA. He got to get his body right,” Morris told reporters per Brian Lewis of the New York Post via Twitter.
Markieff Morris on Ben Simmons’ surge: “Got his legs under him. He was off for 2 years. Y’all won’t even give him a chance; y’all want to criticize him every fu-king name….Obviously y’all wouldn’t know because none of y’all played in the NBA. He got to get his body right” #Nets
Simmons’ recent play is extra special when compared to his slow start in the month of October, where he averaged 6.2 points per game on 44% shooting compared to the 71% that Simmons is shooting in November. His play is crucial to the success of the Nets, who recently got back their star point guard Kyrie Irving from his team-issued suspension.
Ben Simmons Sounds Off on ‘Terrible Year’
While things are looking up for Simmons this season, nothing from last year was positive for the guard. He had a quite public feud with the Philadelphia 76ers, got traded to the Brooklyn Nets, and battled injury for the remainder of the season and playoffs in Brooklyn. He recently spoke about the ‘terrible year’ in an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald.
“I had a terrible year,” Simmons told the Sydney Morning Herald. “So I know how to handle my emotions and what I need to be doing to get on track. If I’m worried or sad or frustrated or angry, I feel like I’m better able to deal with that now. It took time, but I’m at peace with who I am and what’s going on around me. I know what my priorities are, and what I need to do every day. Besides that, I just want to be me.”
He even spoke about his feud with the franchise and things he wished he did differently but also hinted at the disappointment he had for how his Philadelphia 76ers teammates and coaches treated him.
“I definitely didn’t handle it the right way after the season, but there’s two sides,” Simmons told the Sydney Morning Herald. “Your teammates are supposed to have your back. Your coaches are supposed to have your back. And I didn’t have that at all.”