Nets had players-only meeting about Ben Simmons

The Nets met after a 125-116 loss to the Indiana Pacers dropped them to 1-5. Simmons actually had his best statistical game of the season, a nine-point, nine-assist, eight-rebound effort, but the team's "level of exasperation toward Simmons bubbled to the surface" after the loss, according The Athletic. After the meeting, Simmons missed the Nets' next two games.

Some of what Simmons has been dealing with is purely physical. This summer, Simmons had surgery on his balky back. This month, he had his knee drained of fluid and missed eight days, though Simmons told The Athletic he "gets the skepticism."

"You’re obviously not gonna be happy when anybody’s out,” Simmons acknowledged. “But for me, I’ve been dealing with the knee since the start of the season. It’s been swollen. I had PRP (injections). I had blood drained a couple times. So it’s not a made up thing, you know? It’s a real thing."

With Kyrie Irving out and Simmons unproductive, the Nets are getting little to nothing from two of their high-priced players. New coach Jacque Vaughn has pulled Simmons out of the starting point guard role and made him the backup center, hoping for better results from his starters. Simmons finally scored in double figures Tuesday night, but most of that happened with the Nets down 20+ points.

It's not anything new that Simmons' coaches and teammates are questioning his desire to win. He refused to play for Philadelphia after Doc Rivers and Joel Embiid criticized him for passivity in the playoffs. He also didn't play for Brooklyn after the trade, in the regular season or the playoffs, for both mental and physical health reasons.

The Nets have Simmons under contract through 2025 for more than $110 million, so the team has no choice but to wait and see he gets it together, mentally and physically. His teammates don't sound hopeful.