Brooklyn Nets guard Ben Simmons (10) and forward Nic Claxton (33) and forward Kevin Durant (7) look on during the final 2 minutes of a game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Kevin Durant has been 'less than enthralled' with Ben Simmons

By Mike Santa Barbara | Last updated 2/5/23

Following the trade of Kyrie Irving on Sunday, the Brooklyn Nets walked away from the guard with more questions than answers surrounding the team's future as a competitor in the East.

The key cog in the Nets' aspirations is Kevin Durant, who might also prefer greener pastures now that Irving's gone. That is unless Brooklyn can sell Durant on a supporting cast that includes Ben Simmons. But, so far, that isn't going too well, as according to Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News, Durant hasn't been a fan of Simmons since he arrived.

"Sources familiar with Durant's thinking tell the Daily News the star forward has been less than enthralled with Simmons," Winfield wrote.

If Durant's thoughts on Simmons are true, they're hard to argue.

Since finally hitting the hardwood for the Nets, Simmons hasn't looked like the All-Star he once was with the Philadelphia 76ers. In 37 games with Brooklyn, Simmons is scoring only 7.4 points per game, down significantly from his career average of 14.9. He has flashed the ability to facilitate and rebound the basketball, posting 6.4 assists and 6.5 rebounds, but those numbers are also below his career averages (7.6, 7.9).

Another issue for Simmons has been his health. The 26-year-old has missed the last five games with a knee injury and is questionable for Monday's game against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Minus Irving, Durant is looking at a potential starting lineup featuring Simmons at point guard, Nic Claxton at the center, and the newly acquired pair of Spencer Dinwiddie and Dorian Finney-Smith at shooting guard and small forward. While it's not a bad group, it isn't likely to strike fear into the hearts of Eastern Conference squads ahead of the Nets.

While Simmons is nursing a knee injury, Durant has missed the last 11 games with an MCL sprain. The Nets ruled Durant out for Monday's game against the Clippers. Perhaps he'll use the downtime from now on to ponder whether he wants to stick it out in Brooklyn or not.

More must-reads: