<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/brooklyn-nets/nets-news-ben-simmons-reflects-brooklyn-tenure-during-return-to-barclays-center');   ga('set', 'title', 'Ben Simmons reveals what Nets tenure taught him during return to Brooklyn');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Nets-news-Brooklyn-players-react-to-Ben-Simmons-buyout-after-former-All-Star-signs-with-Clippers.jpg"></figure><h1>Ben Simmons reveals what Nets tenure taught him during return to Brooklyn</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-28T19:28:25-07:00">March 28th, 7:28pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-28T21:06:49-07:00">March 28th, 9:06pm</time><address><a>Erik Slater</a>Erik Slater is the credentialed Brooklyn Nets beat reporter for ClutchPoints. He's a graduate of Lehigh University and the Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University, as well as a Lehigh Football and Syracuse Football alum.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Brooklyn Nets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Ben Simmons returned to Barclays Center as a member of the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday. Nearly two months after <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/brooklyn-nets/nets-news-brooklyn-players-react-ben-simmons-buyout-after-former-all-star-signs-clippers">his Brooklyn Nets buyout</a>, the three-time All-Star reflected on his time with the team.</p><p>“A lot of learning experiences, for sure. I think that’s everything. It’s a little different each year. I’m grateful for the experiences I had here, the people I met, and I got to play basketball, so it was great,” Simmons said. “I think [my takeaway] was just growth… Just being consistent and staying in the gym and working. Just leading by example. I think that’s the biggest thing. You never know what to expect in this league. Things change, so the only thing you can do is keep going.”</p><p>Like his Nets tenure, Simmons’ return to Barclays Center was forgettable. He went scoreless on 0-of-3 shooting with three rebounds and three assists in 17 minutes during a 132-100 Clippers win.</p><p>Unlike Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden’s returns, Brooklyn did not give Simmons a thank-you graphic on the jumbotron.</p><h2>Ben Simmons welcoming new opportunity with Clippers after Nets buyout</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Ben-Simmons-posts-up-Dominick-Barlow-during-the-Clippers-Hawks-game.jpg"><figcaption>Dale Zanine-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Simmons joined the Nets in a trade for Harden at the 2022 deadline. Many viewed him as the missing piece alongside Durant and Irving following the implosion of Brooklyn’s previous big three. However, he was a shell of his Philadelphia 76ers self, averaging 6.5 points, 6.2 rebounds and 6.3 assists while appearing in just 90 games over three seasons with the team.</p><p>The former No. 1 pick underwent two back surgeries with the Nets, the first of which was in May 2022. Nearly three years later, he’s still attempting to regain the physical form that made him a force with the 76ers.</p><p>“Physically, get 100 percent. That’s the main focus,” Simmons said of his goals moving forward. “I haven’t been 100 percent in a long time. So for me, it’s just physically getting back to where I need to be. It’s hard to do that midseason. It’s also hard to do that while you’re rehabbing for a whole summer. So getting to a place where I can compete at a high level and play multiple minutes.”</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-clippers/clippers-news-ben-simmons-opens-up-private-battle-injuries-amid-constant-criticism">Simmons has filled a reserve role</a> with Los Angeles, averaging 3.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists on 44.4 percent shooting in 17.7 minutes per game.</p><p>The Clippers are among the NBA’s hottest teams, winning 10 of their last 12 games. They sit sixth in the <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/standings" rel="noopener">Western Conference standings</a>, a half-game ahead of the Golden State Warriors with nine remaining.</p><p>Barring an injury, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-clippers/los-angeles-clippers-dream-nightmare-seeding-matchup-scenarios-for-2025-nba-playoffs">Simmons will soon play his first postseason basketball</a> since his letdown performance during the Philadelphia 76ers’ second-round loss to the Atlanta Hawks in 2021.</p><p>“He’s more than capable. He’s a very good player… That’s what I see from him,” said Nets head coach Jordi Ferandez. “A player that can contribute to a team that is ready to win and a team that is fighting for big things. So I think his role — again, you’ll have to ask Ty Lue and them, but I see that he can really help. That’s why he decided to go there.”</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Ben Simmons reveals what Nets tenure taught him during return to Brooklyn

Exclusive: Ben Simmons opens up on private battle with injuries amid constant criticism

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/los-angeles-clippers/clippers-news-ben-simmons-reacts-to-home-debut-vs-hornets-34-days-after-signing');   ga('set', 'title', 'Ben Simmons reacts to Clippers’ home debut vs. Hornets, 34 days after signing');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Ben-Simmons-Los-Angeles-Clippers-Intuit-Dome.jpg"></figure><h1>Ben Simmons reacts to Clippers’ home debut vs. Hornets, 34 days after signing</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-17T05:05:41-07:00">March 17th, 5:05am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-17T05:06:11-07:00">March 17th, 5:06am</time><address><a>Tomer Azarly</a>Tomer Azarly is in his ninth season as the LA Clippers beat writer and NBA reporter for ClutchPoints. From the Lob City era to the Kawhi Leonard-James Harden era, he brings you everything you need to know about the Clippers as well as coast-to-coast coverage of the NBA.In his free time, Tomer likes to play basketball, video games, and draw.You can follow his Twitter and Instagram for all Clippers content.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Charlotte Hornets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Los Angeles Clippers returned home from a successful three-game road trip to face the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday night. It was also the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/clippers-news-ben-simmons-tyronn-lue-return-from-multi-game-absences">home debut</a> for forward Ben Simmons.</p><p>The game also marked the return of Norman Powell from a two week absence due to a hamstring strain.</p><h2><b>Ben Simmons reacts to home debut vs. Hornets</b></h2><p>James Harden started the night by scoring 15 points in the first quarter, igniting the Clippers to an 11-point lead. He finished the night as the game’s leading scorer with 31 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists in 32 minutes of play.</p><p>The Clippers defeated the Hornets, 123-88. Kawhi Leonard scored 23 points with six rebounds and five assists while Ivica Zubac nearly recorded his first career triple-double with 17 points, 14 rebounds, and eight assists in 28 minutes of play.</p><p>Ben Simmons was quiet in his home debut, finishing with just two rebounds, three assists, and one block.</p><p>“It was unique,” <a href="https://x.com/TomerAzarly/status/1901599269938962875">Simmons said after his first home game</a> 34 days after signing with the Clippers. “The arena’s amazing, fans were great. I’m looking forward to coming back in a couple days when we play the Cavs.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Ben Simmons on making Clippers home debut 34 days after signing with them:</p><p>“It was unique. The arena's amazing, fans were great. I'm looking forward to coming back in a couple days when we play the Cavs.” <a href="https://t.co/6e5vswB34C">pic.twitter.com/6e5vswB34C</a></p><p>— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) <a href="https://twitter.com/TomerAzarly/status/1901599269938962875?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 17, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Simmons played just eight minutes given the Clippers were up 30 points in the opening minutes of the third quarter, but it was just his second game back after missing the last seven games with left knee inflammation. In his first game back against the Hawks on Friday night, Simmons recorded two points, two rebounds, four assists, two steals, and was a +10 in 18 minutes of play.</p><p>“I’m trying to get going a little bit,” Simmons said of his second game back. “It was good. For that second unit, we’ve just got to play with pace and that’s been my focus coming in with that group. Play with pace, get everybody moving, pushing the ball, and getting stops.”</p><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Ben-Simmons-posts-up-Dominick-Barlow-during-the-Clippers-Hawks-game.jpg"><figcaption>Dale Zanine-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Ben Simmons has primarily been the Clippers’ backup point guard on the offensive end while acting as the center defensively. It’s made for unique lineups and some ugly basketball at times, but it’s something that the forward says is an adjustment period.</p><p>“Tonight felt a little different, being more in that five role and creating for my guys. But it felt fine, I just have to get more reps on the floor.”</p><p>The biggest issue the Clippers have had so far is the lack of availability for number of their key players. Of the team’s 14 games after the All-Star break, Derrick Jones Jr. has missed three, Kawhi Leonard has missed four, Ben Simmons has missed eight, and Norman Powell has missed 12.</p><p>The Clippers have had their full rotation healthy for exactly zero games since the All-Star break, making it tough to build chemistry and test the lineups head coach Tyronn Lue will want to use in the playoffs.</p><p>Despite not being whole yet, Ben Simmons sees Leonard and Harden as two incredibly unique pieces that he’s trying to perfect playing with.</p><p>“They’re weapons,” <a href="https://x.com/TomerAzarly/status/1901599768717185283">Simmons said</a>. “They’re certain weapons that not every team has. It’s just playing with them, figuring out where to be, and just reading how they play. The more I watch film, the more I’m out there getting more reps, the easier it’ll be.</p><p>“It’s [watching film] and just experience with it. Making mistakes and figuring it out.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Ben Simmons on playing with James Harden and Kawhi Leonard:</p><p>“They're weapons. They're certain weapons that not every team has. It's just playing with them, figuring out where to be, and just reading how they play. The more I watch film, the more I'm out there getting more reps,… <a href="https://t.co/kqezyCLScw">pic.twitter.com/kqezyCLScw</a></p><p>— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) <a href="https://twitter.com/TomerAzarly/status/1901599768717185283?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 17, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Simmons, Leonard, and Harden have shared the floor for just three total possessions in two minutes.</p><p>Starting off the homestand with a win was crucial given the level of opponents coming into town this week. The Cleveland Cavaliers (56-11) come into the Intuit Dome on Tuesday night, the Memphis Grizzlies (43-25) on Friday night, and the Oklahoma City Thunder (56-12) on Sunday night.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Ben Simmons reacts to Clippers’ home debut vs. Hornets, 34 days after signing

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/los-angeles-clippers/clippers-news-ben-simmons-international-basketball-plans');   ga('set', 'title', 'Clippers’ Ben Simmons reveals international basketball plans');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Clippers-news-Ben-Simmons-reveals-international-basketball-plans.jpg"></figure><h1>Clippers’ Ben Simmons reveals international basketball plans</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-16T12:02:02-07:00">March 16th, 12:02pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-16T12:02:02-07:00">March 16th, 12:02pm</time><address><a>Preston Byers</a>Preston Byers is an experienced writer and journalist who currently serves as an associate editor for ClutchPoints and as a staff writer at The Vindicator and Tribune Chronicle, where he covers sports in the Mahoning Valley. Previously, Preston worked as an associate editor for Dot Esports and a site expert for FanSided's Union and Blue.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Clippers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/brooklyn-nets/nets-news-ben-simmons-gets-real-on-contemplating-retirement-due-to-surgeries">Ben Simmons’ NBA career</a> has proven tumultuous over the past several seasons, but Simmons, now a member of the Los Angeles Clippers, has his sights set on representing Australia internationally in a few years.</p><p>Simmons told RG that if his health allows — and that’s a rather large if — <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1901305363900572142" rel="noopener">he will play in</a> the 2028 Summer Olympics, which are in Los Angeles.</p><p>“That’s what I’ve always wanted — to play in the Olympics,” Simmons said. “If I’m healthy and I’m good to go, then I’ll definitely be there.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Ben Simmons plans to play for Team Australia in the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles provided he's healthy and available, per <a href="https://twitter.com/TheRGMedia?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheRGMedia</a>.</p><p>The Clippers forward last represented Australia in 2013 at the FIBA Oceania Championship. <a href="https://t.co/bibrlhjdc1">pic.twitter.com/bibrlhjdc1</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1901305363900572142?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 16, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Simmons has not represented his home country of Australia in more than a decade; at age 17, he played in the 2013 FIBA Oceania Championship and has not competed in international competition since. Unfortunately for Simmons and the NBA teams he has played for, he has not competed much in the league either.</p><p>Once thought to be a superstar-in-the-making, the former No. 1 overall pick’s career went in a completely different direction starting in the 2021 playoffs. After Simmons passed up a dunk in a critical moment in a Game 7 loss to the Atlanta Hawks, then-Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers said he was not sure if Simmons could be the point guard of a championship team.</p><p>Simmons subsequently demanded a trade from the 76ers and, after a lengthy absence from the team, was traded to the Brooklyn Nets. Simmons’ injuries began piling up around that time, however, and he has played in just 96 games since the conclusion of the 2021 playoffs.</p><p>Additionally, Simmons’ stats have plummeted since then as well; in those 96 games, he has averaged 9.5 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 6.3 assists while shooting 56.0% from the field and 52.4% at the free-throw line.</p><p>Earlier this season, the Nets bought out Simmons’ contract, and he <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-clippers/clippers-news-la-officially-announces-ben-simmons-signing-in-buyout-market">signed with the Clippers</a> shortly thereafter. While his tenure in L.A. started well enough — he recorded 12 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals in his debut — he has <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-clippers/clippers-news-ben-simmons-tyronn-lue-return-from-multi-game-absences">missed all but one game</a> in the month of March due to inflammation in his left knee.</p><p>Simmons will be a free agent this offseason, and with his recent performances and inability to stay healthy, it is expected he will sign a minimum contract wherever he ends up.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Clippers’ Ben Simmons reveals international basketball plans

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/los-angeles-clippers/clippers-news-ben-simmons-tyronn-lue-return-from-multi-game-absences');   ga('set', 'title', 'Ben Simmons, Tyronn Lue return to Clippers lineup from multi-game absences');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Los-Angeles-Clippers-Ben-Simmons-Tyronn-Lue.jpg"></figure><h1>Ben Simmons, Tyronn Lue return to Clippers lineup from multi-game absences</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-14T16:30:56-07:00">March 14th, 4:30pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-14T16:31:36-07:00">March 14th, 4:31pm</time><address><a>Tomer Azarly</a>Tomer Azarly is in his ninth season as the LA Clippers beat writer and NBA reporter for ClutchPoints. From the Lob City era to the Kawhi Leonard-James Harden era, he brings you everything you need to know about the Clippers as well as coast-to-coast coverage of the NBA.In his free time, Tomer likes to play basketball, video games, and draw.You can follow his Twitter and Instagram for all Clippers content.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Hawks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The LA Clippers are two steps closer to whole as they wrap up their road trip in Atlanta on Friday night. Guard/forward Ben Simmons and head coach Tyronn Lue have <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-clippers/clippers-news-tyronn-lue-rejoins-team-for-3-game-trip-after-missing-kings-game">both been absent</a> for a period of time, but both will make their return against the Hawks.</p><p>The Clippers will be going for their fifth win in their last six games. They’ve <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-clippers/clippers-ben-simmons-upgraded-injury-report-vs-hawks">struggled a bit on the road</a> this season, but are putting it together at the right time.</p><h2><b>Ben Simmons, Tyronn Lue return from multi-game absences</b></h2><p>Clippers forward Ben Simmons has missed the last two weeks with what the team called left knee injury management. The Australian forward took a hit to the knee from big man Trey Jemison III during the February 28th Lakers-Clippers game.</p><p>Simmons did not travel with the Clippers to start this three-game road trip, staying back to continue rehabbing while the team put together a plan for his return.</p><p>“I’m progressing,” Ben Simmons told ClutchPoints before the Clippers’ home game against the Sacramento Kings this past Sunday. “They’re figuring out everything right now in terms of when I’ll be with the team. I know we have a back-to-back coming out of New Orleans with Miami, so obviously with travel and then the flights, we want to make sure everything holds up all right, but yeah, so we’re figuring that out now.”</p><p>Simmons traveled and joined the team in Atlanta on Thursday night. He’ll return to the second unit, where he’s been primarily used as the point guard offensively and the center defensively.</p><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Ben-Simmons-posting-up-against-Obi-Toppin-during-the-Clippers-Pacers-game.jpg"><figcaption>Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Head coach Tyronn Lue, who has missed the last three games due to lower back pain, also makes his return on Friday night. The Clippers’ head coach planned to coach last Sunday’s game against the Kings, but left the arena to go home due to the increasing discomfort and pain in his back.</p><p>He traveled on the three-game road trip, but did not coach the first two games against the New Orleans Pelicans or Miami Heat, but is coaching tonight against the Atlanta Hawks.</p><p>With Simmons back, Lue is looking forward to getting his young forward more comfortable on a team he’s only played five games with.</p><p>“Just trying to get us in a good flow and a good rhythm going down the stretch,” Tyronn Lue said of Ben Simmons’ return. “With 16 games left, just trying to get into as much of a rhythm as we can and playing well on both sides of the basketball and letting Ben get comfortable. I think he’s only played four games or something, so just let him get comfortable, understand what we need from him, how we can use him in different situations. I’m glad he’s able to come back tonight.”</p><p>In five games with the Clippers, Ben Simmons has averaged 6.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 1.4 steals per game on 58.3 percent shooting from the field.</p><p>The <a href="https://twitter.com/_MalikATL/status/1900673462437552478">Clippers will be taking on</a> former guard Terance Mann on Friday night, a guard who was traded on NBA trade deadline day to Atlanta in exchange for scorer and playmaker Bogdan Bogdanovic.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Hello, old friend <a href="https://t.co/Nib7bE6xAo">pic.twitter.com/Nib7bE6xAo</a></p><p>— Malik Brown (@_MalikATL) <a href="https://twitter.com/_MalikATL/status/1900673462437552478?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 14, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>In his last nine games for the Hawks, all off the bench, Mann has averaged 11.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.9 assists while shooting 56 percent from the field and 40 percent from three.</p><p>Bogdan Bogdanovic, meanwhile, has been a strong source of scoring, playmaking, and rebounding for the Clippers. He’s averaging 12.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.1 assists in 14 appearances so far, including a 30-point, 10-rebound, four-assist performance against the Miami Heat on Wednesday night. </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Ben Simmons, Tyronn Lue return to Clippers lineup from multi-game absences

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/los-angeles-clippers/clippers-ben-simmons-upgraded-injury-report-vs-hawks');   ga('set', 'title', 'Clippers’ Ben Simmons upgraded on injury report vs. Hawks');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Clippers-news-Ben-Simmons-upgraded-on-injury-report-vs.-Hawks_be0243.jpg"></figure><h1>Clippers’ Ben Simmons upgraded on injury report vs. Hawks</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-14T07:08:31-07:00">March 14th, 7:08am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-14T07:10:06-07:00">March 14th, 7:10am</time><address><a>Erik Slater</a>Erik Slater is the credentialed Brooklyn Nets beat reporter for ClutchPoints. He's a graduate of Lehigh University and the Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University, as well as a Lehigh Football and Syracuse Football alum.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Hawks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Ben Simmons is trending toward a return from an extended absence. The Los Angeles Clippers upgraded the point guard to questionable for <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/betting/clippers-vs-hawks-prediction-odds-pick-spread-3-14-2025">Friday’s matchup with the Atlanta Hawks</a> after he missed the last seven games due to a left knee injury.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-clippers/clippers-news-lebron-james-optimistic-take-ben-simmons-fit-la">Simmons injured his knee</a> during a Feb. 28 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.</p><p>The three-time All-Star has appeared in five games for the Clippers following his <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/brooklyn-nets/nets-news-brooklyn-players-react-ben-simmons-buyout-after-former-all-star-signs-clippers">buyout from the Brooklyn Nets</a>. He’s averaged 5.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.1 steals on 51.5 percent shooting in 21.1 minutes per game. His size and ball-handling with the second unit have not translated to team success early on.</p><h2>Ben Simmons nearing return from extended absence for Clippers</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Ben-Simmons-posting-up-against-Obi-Toppin-during-the-Clippers-Pacers-game.jpg"><figcaption>Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Opponents <a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/team/13/onoff#tab-team_efficiency" rel="noopener">are outscoring</a> Los Angeles by 14.4 points per 100 possessions during Simmons’ minutes, the worst net rating swing of any player since he joined the team, per CleaningTheGlass. The Clippers posted a 2-3 record in the games he played, with wins over the Utah Jazz (OT) and Chicago Bulls and losses to the Lakers, Indiana Pacers and Milwaukee Bucks.</p><p>Tyronn Lue’s squad has posted a 4-3 record over the last seven games with Simmons sidelined. The recent struggles have dropped the Clippers to eighth in the Western Conference standings, 1.5 games behind the Minnesota Timberwolves for seventh and two behind the Golden State Warriors for sixth with 16 remaining.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-clippers/clippers-news-norman-powell-gets-concerning-injury-update-after-hamstring-strain-vs-lakers">Norman Powell remains out</a> for Friday’s Hawks matchup. The breakout guard has been sidelined for the last six games after he strained his hamstring during a Mar. 2 loss to the Lakers. Powell has averaged 23.8 points per game on 49/42/82 shooting splits this season.</p><p>The 31-year-old ranks fifth in the NBA in effective field goal percentage (59.2) among players attempting over 15 shots per game, trailing only Nikola Jokic (62.7), Zach LaVine (61.0), Giannis Antetokounmpo (60.7) and Kevin Durant (59.7).</p><p>Atlanta has won four of its last five games entering Friday’s matchup. Clint Capela is questionable due to family reasons.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Clippers’ Ben Simmons upgraded on injury report vs. Hawks

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/los-angeles-clippers/clippers-news-lakers-lebron-james-ben-simmons-joining-clippers');   ga('set', 'title', 'Lakers’ LeBron James gets real on Ben Simmons joining Clippers');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/LeBron-James-Los-Angeles-Lakers-Ben-Simmons-Los-Angeles-Clippers.jpg"></figure><h1>Lakers’ LeBron James gets real on Ben Simmons joining Clippers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-03T14:54:24-08:00">March 3rd, 2:54pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-04T14:34:12-08:00">March 4th, 2:34pm</time><address><a>Tomer Azarly</a>Tomer Azarly is in his ninth season as the LA Clippers beat writer and NBA reporter for ClutchPoints. From the Lob City era to the Kawhi Leonard-James Harden era, he brings you everything you need to know about the Clippers as well as coast-to-coast coverage of the NBA.In his free time, Tomer likes to play basketball, video games, and draw.You can follow his Twitter and Instagram for all Clippers content.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Clippers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>When the Philadelphia 76ers drafted Ben Simmons, many were putting LeBron James-like expectations on the point forward. Unfortunately, injuries derailed what should’ve been an All-Star level career, leading <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-clippers/clippers-news-la-officially-announces-ben-simmons-signing-in-buyout-market">Simmons to a complementary role</a> with the Los Angeles Clippers while James <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-lebron-james-closer-breaking-another-kareem-abdul-jabbar-record">continues to play at a high level</a> with the Los Angeles Lakers.</p><p>James has closely followed the career of Simmons, and says his fit with his new team will take time to perfect.</p><h2><b>Lakers’ LeBron James preaches patience with Ben Simmons, Clippers</b></h2><p>The Los Angeles Lakers swept the two-game series against the Clippers at Crypto dot Com Arena over the weekend and also won the season series. Ben Simmons was only able to participate in one of the two games due to right knee soreness.</p><p>In the only game Simmons played, the first of the pair, he finished with just two points, three assists, and three rebounds in 16 minutes of play.</p><p>“I think he’s still young with them,” <a href="https://x.com/TomerAzarly/status/1896682854773620846" rel="noopener">LeBron James told</a> ClutchPoints. “I don’t think he’s had enough games under his belt with them [yet]… We’re going through it right now, too. A guy trying to change in the middle of the season to a situation that you’re not comfortable with, and you’re just trying to figure it out.”</p><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Ben-Simmons-posting-up-against-Obi-Toppin-during-the-Clippers-Pacers-game.jpg"><figcaption>Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>James, obviously, is referring to new Lakers teammate Luka Doncic and his trade to Los Angeles just one month ago. Doncic’s transition to the Lakers, however, has been going a lot better over the last handful of games.</p><p>After badly struggling with his shot in his first three games with the Lakers — 16-of-45 shooting from the field (35.6 percent) and 5-of-24 from three (20.8 percent) — the Slovenian superstar guard has averaged 26.4 points, 9.2 rebounds, 7.6 assists, and 2.4 steals per game while shooting 40.8 percent from the field and 30.4 percent from three.</p><p>Ben Simmons, meanwhile, has only played a handful of games with his new-look Clippers but still hasn’t been able to do it with a fully healthy team.</p><p>Norman Powell missed the first give games coming out of the All-Star break, and when he finally returned on Sunday, the Clippers quickly ruled him out due to a hamstring injury.</p><p>In 21.1 minutes per game across five contests, Simmons is averaging 6.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 1.4 steals, primarily acting as the Clippers’ backup point guard offensively and the backup center defensively.</p><p>Head coach Tyronn Lue has mentioned on a number of occasions liking Simmons’ skillset as a potential point guard and playmaker first.</p><p>“If there’s one thing I know, he’s with [Tyronn] Lue,” <a href="https://x.com/TomerAzarly/status/1896682854773620846" rel="noopener">LeBron James added of Ben Simmons</a>. “T-Lue is gonna put all those guys in the right positions to be successful. That’s what he’s really good at.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Forgot to post this the other day, but asked LeBron James about the Clippers adding Ben Simmons, someone he followed closely to start his career:</p><p>“I think he’s still young with them. I don’t think he’s had enough games under his belt with them [yet]. It’s always difficult to…… <a href="https://t.co/5S2uiSdp5j">pic.twitter.com/5S2uiSdp5j</a></p><p>— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) <a href="https://twitter.com/TomerAzarly/status/1896682854773620846?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 3, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><p>When the Clippers initially signed Ben Simmons to his new three-year deal, Lue described the plans for using him as a point guard first but also a center in some lineups without Ivica Zubac.</p><p>“It’s going to take some time,” Tyronn Lue told ClutchPoints at a recent Clippers practice. “You’ve got a point guard that can play the center and the point depending on what unit he’s on so just going to take some time to let him learn the plays, understand how we want to play.</p><p>“With how unique his game is and how we can incorporate him into our offense and defense — but the biggest thing is he can push the pace when he rebounds the basketball. He’s an unbelievable passer. You can put him at the elbows; you can use him in transition.</p><p>“And then when he’s playing with the first unit when Zu is out, I wouldn’t say more so in the dunker spot. I would say more so in the corner and then catching it, uphill dribble hand-offs, and playing off of that.”</p><p>The Clippers are hopeful that Ben Simmons, who missed Sunday’s game with knee soreness, is able to return for one of the upcoming back-to-backs against the Phoenix Suns and Detroit Pistons.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lakers’ LeBron James gets real on Ben Simmons joining Clippers

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/los-angeles-clippers/clippers-news-lebron-james-optimistic-take-ben-simmons-fit-la');   ga('set', 'title', 'LeBron James’ optimistic take on Ben Simmons’ fit with Clippers');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/LeBron-James-optimistic-take-on-Ben-Simmons-fit-with-LA.jpg"></figure><h1>LeBron James’ optimistic take on Ben Simmons’ fit with Clippers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-03T14:51:33-08:00">March 3rd, 2:51pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-03T14:52:24-08:00">March 3rd, 2:52pm</time><address><a>Ryan Bologna</a>Ryan Bologna is an author at ClutchPoints. He studied journalism and communication at UConn.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Clippers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Los Angeles Clippers suffered a rough <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/lakers-news-luka-doncic-reconnects-mavericks-teammate-clippers">108-102 loss to the crosstown rival Los Angeles Lakers</a> on Sunday, and as they try to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-clippers/clippers-news-la-officially-announces-ben-simmons-signing-in-buyout-market">get Ben Simmons acclimated to the team</a>, LeBron James <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1896683260547399963" rel="noopener">offered an optimistic take</a> for his future playing for Ty Lue</p><p>“I think he’s still young with them. I don’t think he’s had enough games under wraps with them,” LeBron James said, via Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints. “It’s always difficult to, I guess, you know… We’re going through it right now, too. You know, A guy trying to change in the middle of the season to a situation that you’re not comfortable with and you’re just trying to figure it out. So, if there’s one thing I know, he’s with [Tyronn] Lue. T-Lue is gonna put all those guys in the right positions to be successful. That’s what he’s really good at.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">“I think he's still young with them. I don't think he's had enough games under his belt with them [yet]. It's always difficult to… We're going through it right now, too. A guy trying to change in the middle of the season to a situation that you're not comfortable with and… <a href="https://t.co/3qc4IYpKr2">pic.twitter.com/3qc4IYpKr2</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1896683260547399963?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 3, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>James, of course, has a lot of experience with Lue from their time together with the Cleveland Cavaliers, where they won the 2016 NBA title. It is not surprising to see James back up his former coach, expressing faith that he will help Simmons integrate into the Clippers’ rotation.</p><p>Simmons did not play in the Clippers’ matchup with the Lakers on Sunday, but he played in the previous 106-102 loss to the Lakers on Friday, as well as games against the Chicago Bulls, Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks and Utah Jazz.</p><p>It has been an eventful few years for Simmons, who was traded to the Brooklyn Nets after an ugly exit with the Philadelphia 76ers. The years with the Nets did not go as planned, as Simmons was unable to regain his prior form from his best seasons in Philadelphia. With the Clippers, he is likely not going to be expected to carry a heavy load, but they hope he can carve out a role, likely as a defensive presence and distributor.</p><p>It will be interesting to see how Lue continues to integrate Simmons into the lineup with the Clippers, and if he can help them down the stretch heading into the playoffs.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

LeBron James’ optimistic take on Ben Simmons’ fit with Clippers

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/nba-stories/bulls-news-josh-giddey-sends-powerful-ben-simmons-message-after-historic-night');   ga('set', 'title', 'Bulls’ Josh Giddey sends powerful Ben Simmons message after historic night');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Josh-Giddey-sends-powerful-Ben-Simmons-message-after-historic-night.jpg"></figure><h1>Bulls’ Josh Giddey sends powerful Ben Simmons message after historic night</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-02-27T00:16:06-08:00">February 27th, 12:16am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-02-27T08:16:34-08:00">February 27th, 8:16am</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Chicago Bulls</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>On Wednesday night, the Chicago Bulls faced the Los Angeles Clippers — pitting two of the most famous Australian players in the league, Josh Giddey and Ben Simmons, against each other. In the end, it was the Clippers that took a 121-117 victory, overcoming a strong effort from <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/chicago-bulls/bulls-news-josh-giddey-makes-double-double-history-not-seen-in-chicago-since-michael-jordan">Giddey that had him making history for the Bulls</a>.</p><p>Simmons, meanwhile, has been thriving in a role off the bench for the Clippers ever since he joined the team after securing a buyout from the Brooklyn Nets. On Wednesday, he put up six points, eight rebounds, and eight assists, carving a role for himself even though his athleticism is no longer at the level it once was when he was making All-Star teams left and right.</p><p>Nonetheless, Giddey has never lost belief in Simmons; the Bulls guard revealed that he and his Australian compatriot have kept close tabs on one another and have <a href="https://x.com/KCJHoop/status/1894961591247884789" rel="noopener">maintained a strong relationship</a> over the years.</p><p>“We’ve stayed close and as I came to the NBA, we’ve gotten closer. That’s a guy I’ve always rooted for,” Giddey said after the Bulls’ loss to the Clippers, per K.C. Johnson of CHSN.</p><p>Giddey proved how close he is to Simmons by showing that he has a signed Clippers jersey of the 28-year-old point forward in his locker room. Their close relationship with one another has blossomed all the way from their proximity towards one another back in Australia with them both being from Melbourne.</p><p>The past season or so has not been particularly kind for either Giddey or Simmons, but in recent weeks, they have been playing much better basketball, justifying the belief of fans whose faith in the two’s basketball abilities never wavered.</p><h2><b>Ben Simmons, Josh Giddey are finding their place with the Clippers, Bulls</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Ben-Simmons_79e82c.jpg"><figcaption>Christopher Creveling-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>While Ben Simmons’ downfall was more steep than that of Josh Giddey’s, both of them have endured some rough patches in their career in recent years. Simmons has never quite shaken off his back injuries fully, preventing him from reaching his previous levels of play despite being just 28 years of age, while Giddey, after a rough 2023-24 season with the Oklahoma City Thunder, couldn’t find a consistent rhythm on the Bulls.</p><p>Regardless, 2025 appears to be much kinder for the two; <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-clippers/clippers-news-ben-simmons-fires-back-online-bulls-t-before-la-debut">Simmons is now back playing for a team with contending aspirations in the Clippers,</a> while Giddey’s confidence is once again sky-high, as evidenced by the way he’s stroking it from deep in recent games.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Bulls’ Josh Giddey sends powerful Ben Simmons message after historic night

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/brooklyn-nets/unlikely-point-guard-fueling-nets-success-replacing-ben-simmons');   ga('set', 'title', 'Unlikely point guard fueling Nets’ success after replacing Ben Simmons');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Nets-news-Unlikely-point-guard-fueling-Brooklyns-success-after-replacing-Ben-Simmons.jpg"></figure><h1>Unlikely point guard fueling Nets’ success after replacing Ben Simmons</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-02-24T09:27:37-08:00">February 24th, 9:27am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-02-24T09:36:35-08:00">February 24th, 9:36am</time><address><a>Erik Slater</a>Erik Slater is the credentialed Brooklyn Nets beat reporter for ClutchPoints. He's a graduate of Lehigh University and the Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University, as well as a Lehigh Football and Syracuse Football alum.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Brooklyn Nets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/brooklyn-nets/nets-news-brooklyn-players-react-ben-simmons-buyout-after-former-all-star-signs-clippers">buyout of Ben Simmons left the Brooklyn Nets</a> with a glaring hole at point guard. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/brooklyn-nets/nets-news-key-brooklyn-reserve-could-benefit-ben-simmons-buyout-ahead-of-free-agency">Trendon Watford has had no issues</a> filling it. Saturday’s win over the Philadelphia 76ers was the latest example of the 24-year-old’s play fueling the team’s success.</p><p>With D’Angelo Russell sidelined, the Nets started Killian Hayes at point guard, but <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/brooklyn-nets/nets-news-nic-claxton-brooklyn-react-epic-buzzer-beater-win-76ers">Watford stole the show down the stretch</a>. The LSU product scored nine points in the fourth quarter, finishing with 16 points and six assists on 7-of-13 shooting in 24 minutes. In five games since Simmons’ buyout, he’s averaged 14.4 points and 3.6 assists on 54.9 percent shooting off the bench.</p><p>Watford has missed two extended stretches due to hamstring injuries this season. His availability has been a barometer of Brooklyn’s success. The Nets are 12-8 in games he’s played and 9-27 in games he’s missed.</p><p>“He helps you win. And he does that because he’s able to score, but also able to handle and play-make. He can play four positions, post-up, and make threes. So all those things are super valuable at his size and position,” said head coach Jordi Fernandez. “He’s another guy that I’m very happy with. You can say in those 20 games [he’s played], we have been really good with him on the court.”</p><p>Watford played his first two NBA seasons as a small-ball five with the Portland Trail Blazers. However, he transitioned to a primary ball-handler role after joining the Nets on the minimum last season.</p><h2>Trendon Watford thriving at point guard for Nets after Ben Simmons buyout</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Trendon-Watford_3cc247.jpg"><figcaption>Bill Streicher-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>That role has shifted further toward a true point guard this season after Brooklyn traded Dennis Schroder and bought out Simmons.</p><p>“It’s funny because when he was in Portland, we played him plenty of times, and we were just like, ‘Oh, he’s a five-man,'” Cam Johnson said. “You know, he’s not the tallest, but he’s a five-man that can maybe put the ball on the ground a little bit, a good offensive connector. But I think here he’s really found a place [here] where he can flourish. And we encourage him to be that guy, to be his best self.”</p><p>At 6-foot-8 with natural ball-handling ability and a soft touch around the rim, Watford has provided shot creation that has been difficult to find elsewhere on the Nets’ roster. He works to his spots with ease, driving into the lane and backing defenders down or probing in the pick-and-roll to set up a deadly floater.</p><p>“[I noticed his guard skills] early,” Johnson said. “He was getting the ball, breaking guys down. He still loves that post-up, but he does it opportunistically now. He loves that floater in the lane. I noticed immediately.  I was like, ‘They didn’t let you do all this a year ago!’</p><p>“[His skillset] is a unique one. And it’s best served when you kind of give him a little bit of space and let him use that paint. It’s really nice because it adds a different dimension to our offense that makes the defense think a little bit. It makes them think about matchups and collapsing and stuff like that. So his strides and what he’s been able to do since he got with us [have been great].”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">When did CJ start to notice Watford's guard skills?</p><p>“Early. He’s getting the ball and breaking guys down… I noticed immediately.  I was like, ‘They didn’t let you do all this a couple of years ago!'" <a href="https://t.co/BbnmSQtAdU">pic.twitter.com/BbnmSQtAdU</a></p><p>— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) <a href="https://twitter.com/erikslater_/status/1893517609808621995?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 23, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Trendon Watford with big-time buckets on back-to-back possessions.</p><p>He's so smooth handling and probing for a guy his size. Such a unique skillset. <a href="https://t.co/CNGZDsdCkf">pic.twitter.com/CNGZDsdCkf</a></p><p>— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) <a href="https://twitter.com/erikslater_/status/1893492887033114993?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 23, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Watford’s size and versatility are his greatest strengths. While he is not considered a traditional point guard, he’s looked more comfortable making reads with added reps. If he can expand his three-point volume (35.2 percent on 2.3 attempts per 36 minutes for his career), teams could also utilize him as a forward.</p><p>“I think I’m one of one. I mean, I watched a few guys when I was young. Kyle Anderson, I used to watch Slo Mo a lot. Richard Jefferson said Boris Diaw. I know back-end Boris Diaw with the Spurs, and I ain’t really like that comparison. So I gotta go look at some of his film when he was younger and just see what he was doing,” Watford said of his player comparisons. “But I just try to use my versatility and do everything I can do. So shout out to Jordi for letting me showcase it.”</p><p>Watford is one of several players the Nets will face decisions on soon. After signing a $2.7 million qualifying offer last summer, he’ll be an unrestricted free agent this offseason. If he can continue his high-level play in an expanded role to close the season, he could receive his first significant NBA playday come July.</p><p>“I’m having fun. Just being able to play on-ball and do different things and use my skill set to the best of my ability,” Watford said. “Starting this year off with some injuries and now being able to pick it back up, man, it’s fun… So I’m just glad. We put in a lot of work. I put in a lot of work. And now it’s just good to see it paying off.”</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Unlikely point guard fueling Nets’ success after replacing Ben Simmons

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/los-angeles-clippers/clippers-news-joel-embiid-trainer-breaks-down-ben-simmons');   ga('set', 'title', 'Joel Embiid’s trainer breaks down how he would’ve fixed Clippers’ Ben Simmons');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Clippers-news-Joel-Embiids-trainer-breaks-down-how-he-wouldve-fixed-Ben-Simmons.jpg"></figure><h1>Joel Embiid’s trainer breaks down how he would’ve fixed Clippers’ Ben Simmons</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-02-20T08:22:20-08:00">February 20th, 8:22am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-02-20T08:22:20-08:00">February 20th, 8:22am</time><address><a href="https://haydencilley.wixsite.com/hayden-cilley-s-port">Hayden Cilley</a>Hayden Cilley joined ClutchPoints in August 2024 as a Phoenix Suns and Mercury reporter, as well as an Associate Editor. Hayden graduated from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University. He recently covered the Phoenix Mercury for The Next Hoops and PHNX Sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Clippers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>While many want <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-clippers/clippers-news-la-officially-announces-ben-simmons-signing-in-buyout-market">the new Los Angeles Clippers forward Ben Simmons</a> to shoot threes, Joel Embiid’s trainer, Drew Hanlen, had something different in mind. The former No. 1 overall pick has a unique build and skill set. At 6’10, he can run the floor like a point guard, yet he is as physical as any big man.</p><p>Even when he was a rookie, he showed flashes of dominance in the league. The playmaking, defense, and versatility across all positions were unlike anything anyone had ever seen. Although the main criticism is his jump shot, Hanlen <a href="https://youtu.be/QAKbq5ViNkE?t=148" rel="noopener">had a different idea of how to fix his game</a>, as he said on the Kevin O’Connor Show.</p><p>“To be honest with you, it wasn’t necessarily a jump shot would be the first thing,” Hanlen said. “The first thing I thought was moving him to the 4 and making him a Draymond Green type of player. I thought he would’ve been unbelievable with somebody handling the ball.</p><p>“Him setting screens, him rolling, because he is an elite passer. He had the ability to get downhill and transition really well in his prime. So if you get him in those 3 on 2’s, 2 on 1’s that’s what made Draymond so good.”</p><h2><b>Drew Hanlen sees Clippers’ Ben Simmons as a Draymond Green</b></h2><p>When Green was in his prime, he was among the best players in the league. He had a niche role with the Golden State Warriors. Although he wasn’t a fantastic shooter himself, he was a respectable offensive threat. As a result, it expanded his game so much more.</p><p>He could be <a href="https://medium.com/@dirtydub47/the-brilliance-of-draymond-green-a3fd4ba96129" rel="noopener">a phenomenal playmaker and defender</a>, but could create his offense. Green could fake a dribble hand off and get an easy score. Something like that could generate easy points or assists for his teammates. Either way, Hanlen remained committed to stating that Simmons is most like Green.</p><p>“I know people wanted him to shoot more 3’s and wanted him to change his hand in his jump shot or change his mechanics,” Hanlen said. “Which I think all made sense. I definitely wouldn’t have had his elbow that far, I would’ve moved his elbow in. I would’ve definitely done some things, but the first thing I would’ve done was made him a Draymond Green type 4 player.”</p><p>Luckily, Simmons is still young in his career. There is plenty of time for him to carve out a niche role in the league, and with Los Angeles. For instance, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-clippers/clippers-news-ben-simmons-fans-buzzing-after-first-los-angeles-bucket">Simmons has Clippers fans buzzing with his first bucket</a>. This could be a telling sign of things to come for the Australian forward.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Joel Embiid’s trainer breaks down how he would’ve fixed Clippers’ Ben Simmons

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/brooklyn-nets/nets-news-brooklyn-convert-tyrese-martin-standard-contract-following-ben-simmons-buyout');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nets to convert Tyrese Martin to standard contract following Ben Simmons buyout');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/martin-thumb-Photoroom.jpg"></figure><h1>Nets to convert Tyrese Martin to standard contract following Ben Simmons buyout</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-02-19T13:24:45-08:00">February 19th, 1:24pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-02-19T14:24:06-08:00">February 19th, 2:24pm</time><address><a>Erik Slater</a>Erik Slater is the credentialed Brooklyn Nets beat reporter for ClutchPoints. He's a graduate of Lehigh University and the Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University, as well as a Lehigh Football and Syracuse Football alum.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Brooklyn Nets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Brooklyn Nets will convert two-way wing Tyrese Martin to a standard contract ahead of Thursday’s matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers, league sources told ClutchPoints. Martin will fill an open roster spot following Ben Simmons’ buyout.</p><p>The move comes as the 25-year-old had reached 50 active NBA games this season, the maximum allowed for two-way players.</p><h2>Tyrese Martin earns standard contract with Nets</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Tyrese-Martin.jpg"><figcaption>Brad Penner-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/brooklyn-nets/nets-news-brooklyn-converts-tyrese-martin-two-way-waive-killian-hayes">Martin joined the Nets’ summer league team and earned a two-way contract</a> after an impressive training camp. He’s seen heavy minutes in Brooklyn’s second unit this season, averaging 7.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists on 39/34/72 shooting splits over 36 appearances.</p><p>“Nobody deserves it more than him,” head coach Jordi Fernandez said of Martin’s contract conversion. “He worked the whole summer. He’s about what we’re trying to build here. He helps us build the culture. He’s had big games, but the most important thing is he’s about the right things. Working every day, getting better, and we love him. We love him around here. So that’s the reason why, and I’m very, very proud of him and happy for him.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">The Nets will convert Tyrese Martin to a standard contract ahead of tomorrow’s game. Jordi Fernandez on the move:</p><p>“Nobody deserves it more than him. He worked the whole summer. He’s about what we’re trying to build here. He helps us build the culture.” <a href="https://t.co/TM3tgm1L5F">pic.twitter.com/TM3tgm1L5F</a></p><p>— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) <a href="https://twitter.com/erikslater_/status/1892271585576268150?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 19, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/timberwolves-news-minnesota-adds-former-hawks-wing-ahead-of-2023-24-nba-season">Martin spent the last two seasons in the G-League</a> after the Atlanta Hawks selected him 51st overall in the 2022 draft. The UConn product averaged 16.9 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 3.0 assists on 45/32/83 shooting splits over 39 appearances with the Iowa Wolves in 2023-24. He’s proven capable of producing in spurts when called upon in Brooklyn this season.</p><p>Martin is part of a Nets wing rotation headlined by Cam Johnson but featuring several other young prospects, such as Jalen Wilson, Ziaire Williams, Tosan Evbuomwan and Maxwell Lewis. His contract with the Nets <a href="https://x.com/MikeAScotto/status/1892272978999619956" rel="noopener">will be a multi-year deal</a>, according to Hoopshype’s Michael Scotto.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nets to convert Tyrese Martin to standard contract following Ben Simmons buyout

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-mavericks-ben-simmons-clippers-contract');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Mavericks held Ben Simmons buyout interest before Clippers contract');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Mavericks-held-Ben-Simmons-buyout-interest-before-Clippers-contract.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Mavericks held Ben Simmons buyout interest before Clippers contract</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-02-14T11:59:28-08:00">February 14th, 11:59am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-02-14T12:12:35-08:00">February 14th, 12:12pm</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joey.mistretta/" rel="facebook">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a Dallas Mavericks beat reporter, Dallas Wings beat reporter and lead MLB editor for ClutchPoints. He is originally from Lake Arrowhead, California. Mistretta graduated from Biola University with a degree in broadcast journalism.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Dallas Mavericks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nets-news-is-ben-simmons-playing-vs-heat-latest-update-buyout-speculation">Brooklyn Nets and Ben Simmons previously agreed to a contract buyout</a>, which led to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/clippers-news-la-officially-announces-ben-simmons-signing-in-buyout-market">Simmons signing with the Los Angeles Clippers</a>. According to NBA insider Marc Stein, league sources said that the Dallas Mavericks <a href="https://marcstein.substack.com/p/the-anthony-davis-injury-latest" rel="noopener">were interested in pursuing</a> Simmons before he signed with the Clippers.</p><p>Simmons is now in LA so the Mavs will look in a different direction. Dallas could have certainly used a player such as Simmons right now given all of the injuries on the roster, however.</p><p>Center has been hit the hardest by injuries lately, as Anthony Davis, Daniel Gafford, Dereck Lively II and Dwight Powell are all currently out. 6’7″ Kessler Edwards has been playing the center position in recent action as a result.</p><p>“They got me listed as a center on the box score, I can’t believe it… I got a lot of help from my teammates,” Edwards <a href="https://x.com/JoeyMistretta_/status/1890253672090882155" rel="noopener">told reporters</a> following the Mavericks’ 118-113 victory against the Miami Heat on Thursday. “Coach is just guiding me through it every game.”</p><p>Simmons is a point guard but he has played forward in the past. At 6’10”, he may have even played some center for the Mavs given their current injury situation.</p><p>Dallas will likely consider all of their options at the position moving forward. Davis, Lively and Gafford may all miss extended periods of time, and there is no timeline for Powell’s injury return. Edwards deserves credit for embracing his role, but the Mavs need to add more size.</p><p>Kylor Kelley, a two-way player, is also an option. He is a true center at 7’0″, but he has only appeared in a total of seven NBA games. The Mavericks could use a player with more NBA experience.</p><p>Dallas heads into the All-Star break with a 30-26 overall record. The Mavs are in eighth place in the Western Conference standings.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Mavericks held Ben Simmons buyout interest before Clippers contract

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/clippers-news-ben-simmons-fans-buzzing-after-first-los-angeles-bucket');   ga('set', 'title', 'Ben Simmons has fans buzzing after first Clippers bucket');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Ben-Simmons-has-fans-buzzing-after-first-Clippers-bucket.jpg"></figure><h1>Ben Simmons has fans buzzing after first Clippers bucket</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-02-14T07:28:49-08:00">February 14th, 7:28am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-02-14T07:29:15-08:00">February 14th, 7:29am</time><address><a>Quinn Allen</a>Quinn Allen is a Senior Associate Editor with ClutchPoints. He specializes mainly in soccer, basketball, and baseball. When Quinn isn't producing content for CP,  he's writing sports betting predictions for numerous sites across North America.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Clippers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/clippers-news-la-officially-announces-ben-simmons-signing-in-buyout-market">The Los Angeles Clippers recently signed Ben Simmons</a> after <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sources-nets-ben-simmons-expect-buyout-after-trade-deadline">he reached a buyout agreement with the Brooklyn Nets</a> and he made his debut with the team on Thursday evening.</p><p>The Clippers ran away with a 120-116 victory over the lowly Utah Jazz and Simmons finished with a solid statline of 12 points, seven rebounds, and six assists in 27 minutes of action.</p><p><a href="https://x.com/Mahadevkaladl/status/1890232592324337934?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1890232592324337934%7Ctwgr%5Ec84d13469b8c843f2840e206ff90032cbc404787%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwp.clutchpoints.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D3253742action%3Dedit" rel="noopener">Fans were buzzing</a> after his first LA bucket:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Ben Simmons catches the alley-oop for his first Clippers points 🔥 <a href="https://t.co/yvBCWEokZ3">pic.twitter.com/yvBCWEokZ3</a></p><p>— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) <a href="https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1890232310131216544?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 14, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">It looks like Ben will make a big splash in his first season with the Clippers.</p><p>— Maђaͥ∂aͣvͫ ka Ladla (@Mahadevkaladl) <a href="https://twitter.com/Mahadevkaladl/status/1890232592324337934?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 14, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Is Ben Simmons back?</p><p>— J. Reeves 🌵 (@JoshuaCReeves) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoshuaCReeves/status/1890240370891714848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 14, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Ben Simmons is here, we’re all good <a href="https://t.co/o0oojYrATP">pic.twitter.com/o0oojYrATP</a></p><p>— Teg🚨 (@IQfor3) <a href="https://twitter.com/IQfor3/status/1890262695288709431?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 14, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The Aussie actually played quite well and showed that he could be an important piece for this Clippers squad in the second half of the campaign. Despite struggling with the Nets and posting pedestrian numbers across the board, Simmons is still one of the better defenders in the league. That in itself will help Los Angeles, which prides itself on defense under head coach Ty Lue.</p><p>Simmons spoke about joining the organization on Tuesday and expressed confidence in his ability to help them improve:</p><p>“I feel great, ready to go,” Simmons said. “I just want to play basketball at a high level and I feel like that’s going to happen here.”</p><p>“It’s easier when teams are transparent and understand who you are and what you need and how the team can help and how I can help them,” Simmons said. “I feel comfortable. I know most of the guys on the team.”</p><p>Simmons also said the adjustment to a new team with a plethora of veterans makes the transition easier:</p><p>“Defensively, it’s a lot different when you’re on the court with a lot of vets. It will be unique having a lot of guys like that on the court,” Simmons said. “It’s not going to take too long to get a feel for each other on the floor.”</p><p>The Clippers have a 31-23 record and sit in sixth place in the Western Conference. Simmons will have some time off for the All-Star break before joining his new teammates again next week.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Ben Simmons has fans buzzing after first Clippers bucket

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/clippers-news-ben-simmons-fires-back-online-bulls-t-before-la-debut');   ga('set', 'title', 'Ben Simmons fires back at ‘online bulls–t’ before Clippers debut');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Clippers-news-Ben-Simmons-fires-back-at-online-bulls%E2%80%93t-before-LA-debut.jpg"></figure><h1>Ben Simmons fires back at ‘online bulls–t’ before Clippers debut</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-02-14T06:55:27-08:00">February 14th, 6:55am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-02-14T07:15:44-08:00">February 14th, 7:15am</time><address><a>Erik Slater</a>Erik Slater is the credentialed Brooklyn Nets beat reporter for ClutchPoints. He's a graduate of Lehigh University and the Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University, as well as a Lehigh Football and Syracuse Football alum.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Brooklyn Nets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Ben Simmons is turning the page to a new chapter in his basketball journey. After <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sources-nets-ben-simmons-expect-buyout-after-trade-deadline">agreeing to a buyout with the Brooklyn Nets</a>, ending a disappointing three-year tenure, the three-time All-Star will make a playoff push with the Los Angeles Clippers during the second half of this season.</p><p>Simmons’ drastic decline from his Philadelphia 76ers days has been a hot NBA topic over the last three seasons. While he’ll now join forces with James Harden, the player the 76ers traded him for, he had no interest in discussing his tumultuous journey from Philadelphia to Los Angeles.</p><p>“I’m a competitor. I just want to compete,” Simmons said during his Clippers introductory press conference. “I don’t know all the bulls–t that is said online. That doesn’t come from me. I want to compete and I’m here to do that. To play alongside some of these great players is gonna be great. I think everyone is just going to push each other to be better. They expect greatness, so that’s my expectation coming to the Clippers.”</p><p>Simmons was an afterthought in terms of on-court impact for much of his Nets tenure. His first two seasons with the team were cut short by back injuries. However, after undergoing back surgery in May, his second in two years, this season <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nets-news-ben-simmons-reveals-considered-retiring-offseason-amid-injury-struggles">has been his healthiest since his 76ers departure</a>.</p><p>The Aussie’s newfound health comes as he attempts to earn a new contract ahead of his unrestricted free agency this summer.</p><h2>Ben Simmons impresses in first action with Clippers following Nets buyout</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Ben-Simmons_79e82c.jpg"><figcaption>Christopher Creveling-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nets-news-ben-simmons-reveals-reason-offensive-resurgence-following-dennis-schroder-trade">Ben Simmons was effective as the Nets’ starting point guard</a> after the team traded Dennis Schroder earlier this season. He averaged 7.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 7.6 assists over his last 14 appearances with Brooklyn. The former No. 1 pick built upon that momentum during his Clippers debut on Thursday.</p><p>Simmons posted 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting with seven rebounds, six assists, three steals and a block in 27 minutes as Los Angeles overcame a 20-point deficit to defeat the Utah Jazz. The performance marked his ninth time scoring in double figures in 34 appearances this season.</p><p>“We were just getting a feel for how they were playing us [with Ben] and getting a feel for how he would be able to play with us,” Tyronn Lue <a href="https://x.com/LawMurrayTheNU/status/1890283266479120865" rel="noopener">told the Athletic’s Law Murray</a>. “It was new for us. I thought he did a great job. Just reading the game, his IQ, making the right play, [going] aggressive to the basket. I thought he was really good for us.”</p><p>Following Thursday’s win, the Clippers sit sixth in the Western Conference standings at 31-23. Barring a late-season collapse or an injury, Simmons will soon play first postseason basketball since his infamous struggles during the 76ers’ 2021 second-round loss to the Atlanta Hawks. However, he’ll have 28 more games to gain his footing with Los Angeles before that.</p><p>After his debut, Simmons <a href="https://x.com/LawMurrayTheNU/status/1890281285693895031" rel="noopener">was asked about his favorite part</a> of his first action with the Clippers.</p><p>“The whole game. Just being here, and the guys fighting,” he said. “We were down 20 at one point, and guys stayed with it. These games can be dangerous. You’re going into the All-Star break. But guys stayed with it and finished the right way.”</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
6.2	5.2	6.9	0.5	0.8

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
6.2	5.2	6.9	0.5	0.8

Ben Simmons news

Ben
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