The Brooklyn Nets welcomed Ben Simmons back to the rotation on Monday after he missed four games with swelling in his knee.
Simmons, who was acquired by the Nets during last season as the centre-piece in their trade sending James Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers, had previously started all 281 games in his NBA career before coming off the bench against the Dallas Mavericks.
The 26-year-old Australian averaged a career-low 14.3 points per game in the 2020-21 season – his last regular season before missing all of the 2021-22 campaign – but that figure has plummeted down to 6.2 points per game as he finds his footing with a new team and a new role.
In his 10 games for the Nets across both the preseason and the start of the regular season, Simmons is yet to score 10 points in a contest, however he is leading Brooklyn in assists (7.3 per game).
Against the Mavericks, Simmons joined Seth Curry as the first players off the Nets’ bench with 2:39 remaining in the first quarter.