Clarifying my prophesy of Brooklyn Nets inability to handle adversity

That is what I proposed in my article on New Years Day. The first test of the Nets solidity (or lack thereof) came with the knee injury to Kevin Durant who is expected to miss one month of action. Here is my take on Ben Simmons from that article:

The third prong of Brooklyn's Big-3, Ben Simmons, just can't seem to find a position or team that suits him. Usually listed as a 6'10" point guard, Simmons can play various spots on the floor, but injuries and what can only be described as "mental unsteaduness" - and the unwillingness to take shots from any distance - have attached many question marks to his future in the League.

Ben's flaws surfaced in the Celtics 109-98 win over Brooklyn last night. Even though Simmons had nine rebounds and 13 assists in the contest, he took only three shot attempts and missed all three. He scored ZERO points, hardly what his team was looking for to help fill the 30-point void left by Durant's absence.

Case in point - 7:50 mark of the fourth quarter. Ben takes the ball to the hoop, and once again chooses to pass the ball rather than finish on his own. The play resulted in a turnover. It appears that he may be afraid to get fouled and be forced to get his points at the line. This season he only attempts an average of 1.5 free throw attempts per game - makes only an average of 0.6 per game - a mere 41.3% success rate.

All of those free-throw related numbers are the lowest, by far, of his career. Granted, Simmons can pass, rebound and defend, but his 7.5 points per game this season, particularly with KD on the mend, isn't going to cut it for the Nets. Ben exudes "instability", hardly what is needed as the second-best player for the Nets until Durant returns.

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