"Dennis was the 10th-slowest point guard" - Jordi Fernandez highlights upside of Ben Simmons filling Dennis Schroder's shoes

Ben Simmons' Brooklyn Nets are expected to take a considerable step back after trading veteran point guard Dennis Schroder to the Golden State Warriors. However, according to Nets coach Jordi Fernandez, his squad could benefit from Simmons taking on a full-time starting point guard role.

Projected to be one of the NBA's worst teams ahead of the season, Brooklyn has surprised many with its early season competitiveness. Entering Monday, it sat 10th in the Eastern Conference (10-15).

However, seemingly concerned about hurting their NBA draft lottery odds, the Nets traded their leading floor general for a draft pick-centric haul. They shipped Schroder and a 2025 second-round pick to Golden State on Sunday. In return, they received injured guard De'Anthony Melton (knee), two-way contract guard Reece Beekman and three future second-rounders.

Schroder was Brooklyn's third-leading scorer (18.4 points per game) and leader in assists (6.6 per game). Meanwhile, he was shooting a career-best 38.7% from 3-point range on 6.5 attempts a night.

Nevertheless, on Monday, Fernandez expressed optimism that the Nets would persevere. According to the rookie coach, Simmons' pace advantage over Schroder could work in his team's favor.

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"Dennis was a bottom-10 or the 10th-slowest point guard in the NBA — pace doesn't mean you're better or worse — and Ben is 18th-fastest. So, right there is the answer," Fernandez said. "We're going to try to play faster. The ball is going to fly; he's going to push, he's going to throw it ahead, and we have more opportunities to get those shots early in the clock. The high-quality shots."

Per NBA.com, the Nets rank last in the NBA in pace (97.01 possessions per 48 minutes). So, they have plenty of room for improvement in that area. However, they will also have to overcome decreased spacing, as Ben Simmons has yet to attempt a triple this season.

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Jordi Fernandez hopeful Nets' defense will improve with "bigger" starting lineup featuring Ben Simmons

During his press conference, Jordi Fernandez touched on Brooklyn's defensive aspirations following the Dennis Schroder trade. Per Fernandez, his team's "bigger" starting five with Ben Simmons (6-foot-10) replacing Schroder (6-1) at point guard could translate to better defense and more rebounding.

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"We still want to do certain things with purpose, and running starts with defense," Fernandez said. "So, we have to be better defensively, we have to rebound. That's how you get run as well ... We're a different group. We'll have bigger lineups. We've been complaining about being so small, and now we are bigger."

While Simmons is limited offensively, he made the NBA All-Defensive first team twice during his peak with the Philadelphia 76ers (2020 and 2021). So, perhaps with an increased workload, he can help improve the Nets' 27th-ranked defensive rating (117.1).

Through 19 appearances, Ben Simmons is averaging 5.1 ppg, 5.6 rebounds, 6.5 apg, 0.8 steals and 0.6 blocks per game, shooting 59.7%.

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