Vince Carter outlines X- factor for Brooklyn Nets’ to win championship: “The machine was well oiled”
This season has been nothing short of a roller-coaster ride for the Brooklyn Nets. After missing the entirety of last season, Simmons couldn't seem to get things going early on. He repeatedly fouled out in crunch time, putting the team in a difficult spot. However, Vince Carter still believes that Simmons is crucial to the Nets' success.
Kyrie Irving then became embroiled in an antisemitism controversy, drawing an eight-game suspension from the team. In the midst of that issue, the team parted ways with coach Steve Nash.
By this point, many were questioning whether it was time for the team to blow it up and trade away the entirety of their Big Three. When Irving returned, however, there was something different. The Brooklyn Nets looked like true contenders. They ascended the Eastern Conference standings, looking like a team poised for a deep playoff run.
With Kevin Durant currently sidelined, the team is struggling to keep its footing. As they continue to fight for their spot in the standings, Vince Carter believes there's one X-factor for the Brooklyn Nets going into the playoffs. He spoke on ESPN's "Get Up" about the Nets' season and where they go from here:
"I think they're very talented and they hit their stride when they were healthy. I still say, if KD's not the question, it's Ben Simmons who to me is the X-factor. What Ben Simmons will you get? Will you get the aggressive Ben Simmons? ...When they were hitting their stride before KD went down, the machine was well oiled."
You can see his comments in the video above.
Ben Simmons and the Brooklyn Nets
This season has been incredibly up and down for the Brooklyn Nets and Ben Simmons. At times, Simmons has looked like his older self, putting up stat lines reminiscent of when he was tearing it up for the Philadelphia 76ers. On the other hand, this season has also seen Simmons experience the lowest of lows.
While he has shown flashes of brilliance, questions remain about his commitment to getting back to an elite level. On Jan. 26, when the Nets played the Detroit Pistons, one of the worst teams in the league, Simmons checked himself out of the game. The move came on the heels of back-to-back halves in two games where he went scoreless.
Coach Jacque Vaughn seemed frustrated when he spoke about the situation to the media:
"The expectations, what we always talk about, was to win this basketball game. The people who suited up, the people who played, the people who stepped on the floor had an opportunity to impact the basketball game for their teammates. That's the objective every single time we step on the floor. We were expecting to win tonight, that's the goal."
You can see his comments in the video above shortly after the one-minute mark.