Ben Simmons had his best game of the season in the Brooklyn Nets’ victory against the Chicago Bulls, finishing with eight points remaining with eight rebounds and a season-high eleven assists. The Australian playmaker still needs to do a lot more to return to his previous star levels, but it was a step in the right direction.

“I think reps are the most important thing for me,” Simmons saying after the game. “The more reps I do, the better I’ll do.”

Friday’s game was Simmons’ best performance of the season so far, and not just on the stat sheet. The Nets guard was aggressive throughout the game, something he has struggled to do after the first few halves this year, and was a notable asset in terms of defense and facilitation.

Simmons has had the trust of first-year coach Jordi Fernández this season. Fernandez has started the former No. 1 draft pick in every game in which Simmons has been available. The 41-year-old Spaniard has also generally praised Simmons in his public comments, although asked your point guard to be more aggressive as a scorer.

“I want those (shot) attempts to increase to 10 or 15 attempts per game,” Fernandez said previously. “I don’t want him to drive past.”

Simmons’ role with the Nets this season has been slightly different than in previous years. He is still asked to press in transition and set up his team, but more often acts as a blocker and roller in the half court.

Despite often being Brooklyn’s point guard on the court, he is also often their center, especially considering the team’s top five regulars this season have been Simmons with Dennis Schröder, Cam Thomas, Cam Johnson and Dorian Finney. Smith. Finney-Smith takes possessions by guarding the other team’s bigs, but Simmons has had to do this as well. It’s been an adjustment for the former defensive first-team member.

“It’s the NBA: Guys are going to score, but I just try to make it difficult for them but keep that intensity,” Simmons said. “I think it’s a little different when you start with a physical player in the five-man group and then switch to a guard, so you have to keep that in mind.”

The Nets guard needs to take advantage of this performance. Simmons believes that will come with more time on the court. He also knows that he needs to lose the ball less.

“For me, turning the ball over is something I see as a negative and a positive,” Simmons said. “Obviously, you don’t want to turn the ball over, but you learn from your mistakes, and I hope to continue doing that the more games I get… with these guys.”

The 6-foot-10 playmaker is currently listed as questionable (lower back injury management) for the Nets’ Sunday afternoon game against the Chicago Bulls, which is the first of a back-to-back for Brooklyn. The Nets host the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night.

Simmons, whose last two seasons ended due to back-to-back back injuries, will not play back-to-back games for now, according to his coach Fernandez. he was already managed against the Denver Nuggets earlier this season.

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