Ben Simmons didn’t even get halfway to his magic number.
As the Nets struggled Sunday through their worst offensive game of the young season, their highest-paid player attempted just four shots in 25 minutes during a 106-92 loss to the Pistons at Barclays Center.
“I want him to shoot more than that,” head coach Jordi Fernandez said. “My goal for him is 10. He has to find a way to get there. He hasn’t gotten there yet, but I know he can.”
The oft-injured Simmons contributed team highs of six rebounds and six assists but was not attacking the basket as Cam Johnson (26 points) and Cam Thomas (17) didn’t have a third wheel to pick up the slack when their shooting went cold.
Dorian Finney-Smith, Dennis Schroder, Jalen Wilson and Ziaire Williams all took more shots than Simmons, whose season high in field-goal attempts is five.
“He is physically getting where he’s supposed to be, and those attempts need to go up,” Fernandez said. “Because then we are all going to benefit from it. I don’t care about makes-misses. I just want to see shots going up.He’s more than capable of doing it, so he’ll get there for sure.”
Simmons won’t play tonight against the Grizzlies, missing his second of the first eight games.
After playing just 15 games last season, Simmons’ load management calls for no back-to-backs. He skipped the front end last time but played in an earlier win against the Grizzlies.
“The plan is he plays one of the two,” Fernandez.
Forward Trendon Watford will be back soon after his left hamstring flared up during warm-ups Friday while preparing to make his season debut.
“He had some awareness we had to address,” Fernandez said. “We decided to not dress him and look at the whole situation again. Everything looks good right now.”
Center Nic Claxton hasn’t started a game all season, but he is expected to play Monday after missing the tail end of the first set of back-to-back Nets games with a hamstring injury.
He had eight points but just one rebound and five fouls in 22 minutes against the Pistons.
“There is a plan for him to start at some point,” Fernandez said. “Right now, it’s important for him to go through the back-to-back and he feels good. From there, we’ll re-address the situation.”
Thomas was held to just two assists.
He doesn’t have more than four in any of the first eight games.
“When they’re open, I’m passing to them,” Thomas said. “I’m trying to make the right play in the game and make the reads. I don’t really look at any of that. I’m just trying to play my game and play the right way out there.”