Nets’ Jacque Vaughn opens up on “rocky” Ben Simmons relationship ahead of 2023-24 season
HC Nets Before the 2023–24 season, Jacque Vaughn addressed his relationship with Ben Simmons, which hadn’t exactly gotten off to the best of starts.
Ben Simmons’ health is improving, and so is his relationship with head coach Jacque Vaughn, after a turbulent first season with the Nets.
Vaughn found it upsetting all season long that Simmons was mainly unsuccessful despite dealing with many injuries. Throughout the 2022–23 season, Simmons was expected to perform tasks he wasn’t competent of, the Nets head coach admitted on Tuesday:
“At that time, I was at a place where, as a coach, I’m always gonna have a standard, and that standard is of what I expect guys on the team to do, how we want them to play, and ask them to do things for the sake of the team,” Vaughn said. “I believe Ben and I are in a great place in our relationship right now because we were able to talk about the time in our lives when I expected him to do things that I have since learned he was physically unable to do. You probably kept hearing me talk about force, those things, and how I wanted him to play at that time.
“Now that I’ve had a revelation, I’ve been able to see the effort he’s put in and the places he’s been, and some of those things have been made clear to me. I believe this is the reason why our relationship is doing so well right now. I believe he is physically capable of performing the tasks I will be asking of him in the future. This puts us in a situation where I can utilize different lineups and surround him with different players so we can succeed on both ends of the floor.
In a recent interview with ESPN’s Andscape, Simmons was unexpectedly candid about his issues with Vaughn, who Brooklyn promoted to full-time head coach 11 games into the previous season after letting Steve Nash go. The three-time All-Star described his connection with the head coach as “terrible to start,” mostly because there was no open discussion about his deteriorating physical condition.
Simmons spent the offseason in Miami getting back in shape after missing the second part of last year due to a nerve irritation in his surgically repaired back. Additionally, Vaughn and Simmons have established new lines of communication during their three distinct trips to South Beach.
Simmons spent the offseason in Miami getting back in shape after missing the second part of last year due to a nerve irritation in his surgically repaired back. Additionally, Vaughn and Simmons have established new lines of communication during their three distinct trips to South Beach.
Simmons now has high hopes for his ability to get back in shape, claiming he is “ready to dominate” and “feeling the strongest he’s ever been” since joining Brooklyn. Sean Marks, general manager, declined to state expectations for the former first-round pick on Tuesday but noted that Simmons’ assurance in his physical condition is a breath of fresh air.
Sean Marks, general manager of the Nets, said: “I think we know Ben better now as a person and as a player and so forth.” He is arriving in good health, and I believe that everyone has read Ben’s words. It will therefore be great for us to visit him in camp and to expand from there, given that he is confident in his physical state.
Leave a Reply