Milwaukee Bucks news: Ben Simmons has quietly been having a nice bounce-back campaign for the Brooklyn Nets this term. On Monday night, the former Rookie of the Year played an integral role for his team as they pushed Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks to the edge.
The Nets ultimately lost out, 129-125, but it allowed Simmons to come to an important realization about his squad.
Ben Simmons Reacts to Loss Vs. Milwaukee Bucks
After parting ways with Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden last season, the Nets are still in the midst of a rebuild. They’re not expected to be a legitimate threat in the East –at least not right now — but it appears that Brooklyn has every intention of making some noise in the conference.
Monday’s tight loss against the Bucks is a testament to this notion. Milwaukee is one of the favorites to go all the way this season, and the fact that the Nets were able to put up a formidable challenge against them speaks volumes of what this team is capable of.
“I mean, that’s going to be standard for us, you know?” Simmons said after the game (h/t Sharif Philipps-Keaton of Nets Wire). “This is the level we want to play at. So, we’re ready to compete and I think every game that we play is going to be a closer game given the guys that are out right now (and) the things that we’re dealing with but, we have the the bodies.”
As Simmons pointed out, the Nets have also been dealing with injuries of late. Two of their starters, Nicolas Claxton and Cam Johnson, have missed the last six games, and both players were unavailable against Milwaukee.
Simmons himself is no stranger to injury, and it goes without saying that Brooklyn will need him to be healthy this season if they want to challenge for a playoff spot in the East.
Based on what we’ve seen from them on Monday against a powerhouse Bucks side, though, the Nets could end up surprising a lot of people this season.
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