Dyson Daniels makes statement with ‘clinic’ after trade; Ben Simmons’ mixed bag in Nets return

Brooklyn got the full Ben Simmons experience while Dyson Daniels looks to have quickly become a fan favourite for Atlanta as the Hawks overcame the Nets 120-116 on Thursday.

For Simmons, the first half was a reminder of why he is a three-time All-Star, with the 28-year-old on triple-double watch in his first game since being shut down by a lower back injury in February.

But the start to the third quarter saw Simmons revert to bad habits, turning the ball over and picking up cheap fouls as the Nets came up just short despite some late Cam Thomas heroics.

Daniels, meanwhile, went into this season with a goal of making First Team All-Defence and he certainly looks every chance of doing that if Thursday’s performance is anything to go by.

Average of 9 LIVE Regular Season games per week plus the best of the NBA Playoffs, including every game of the NBA Conference Finals & NBA Finals LIVE on ESPN, available via Kayo New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited time offer.

It obviously isn’t a fluke either given Daniels was one of the NBA’s most elite on-ball defenders at New Orleans, but he definitely also looks more confident on the offensive end, building on what was a breakout Paris Olympics campaign for the Boomers.

Simmons finished the game with six points, five rebounds, eight assists, six turnovers and five fouls while Daniels had 15 points, five rebounds, two assists, five steals and a block.

Simmons started for the Nets at center, with first-choice big man Nic Claxton on a minutes restriction after missing all four of Brooklyn’s preseason games due to a hamstring injury.

“You can’t go from zero to 100. It wouldn’t make sense that he hasn’t played and now all of the sudden I play him 35 minutes,” Nets coach Jordi Fernandez told reporters pre-game.

The Claxton injury allowed Brooklyn to experiment with Simmons in the point center role during the preseason and he looked much more comfortable, although Simmons will likely become either the starting or back-up point guard once Claxton is ready to start again.

Meanwhile, Daniels started at shooting guard as Atlanta’s official replacement for Dejounte Murray after he was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans in the offseason.

It was a forgettable start for Simmons, who turned the ball over on his first possession, with Daniels showing off his improved shot with a 3-pointer on the other end for Atlanta.

But outside of that one blemish it was otherwise an impressive opening stint for Simmons, who looked aggressive in driving to the rim and was composed facilitating a five-out offence while playing at the five.

First, he hustled to save a possession for Brooklyn and then dished it off to a cutting Cam Johnson for the slam before driving to the rim himself and laying it in.

Simmons’ best play of the quarter came as he pushed the pace in transition off a Daniels miss, going right at Clint Capela and using his physicality to finish at the rim.

There were still flashes of the elite playmaking, including behind the back passes, but most promising was the way Simmons did not hesitate to get into the paint early and often.

In turn, it only opened up space for the Nets in the halfcourt, which was an obvious advantage of playing Simmons at the five with plenty of shooting around him.

As for Daniels, he also had a very solid first quarter, draining that early 3-pointer and then adding a putback while playing strong all-round defence.

The Hawks led 13-4 early but the Nets were able to work their way back to 17-15 before both Simmons and Daniels checked out with three minutes left in the first quarter.

Simmons had four points, three rebounds, three assists, a block and a pair of turnovers, exiting the game when Claxton entered, while Daniels had five points and a rebound.

The Hawks led 30-24 after the first quarter.

MORE: How Josh Giddey fared in his Chicago Bulls debut

Simmons picked up where he left off when he entered the game in the second quarter, assisting on two-straight 3-pointers while also crashing the glass for defensive rebounds.

It was nearly three in a row as Simmons stormed down the court in transition and quickly dished it out to Jalen Wilson in the corner but his shot rimmed out.

It was another near-miss soon after as Simmons cut towards the rim and couldn’t quite get the finish, but nonetheless it was yet again a promising sign for his attack-first mentality.

Thomas later connected with Simmons for the alley-oop lay-in before the Australian checked out again, with Schroder coming in and the Nets ahead 43-42.

Daniels entered the game shortly after Simmons was substituted in earlier in the second quarter and while he wasn’t having the same impact on offence, he was predictably proving a menace on the defensive end, picking up Thomas full-court.

Brooklyn took a 53-50 lead into halftime.

After a very solid first half, the third quarter was one to forget for Simmons as he committed two quick turnovers and picked up three fouls – including one for an unnecessary push on Capela.

It was a complete contrast to the much better version of Simmons the Nets got earlier in the game, with the Australian instead looking too passive and pass-happy, leading to the pair of turnovers.

Daniels, on the other hand, added five quick points to open the third quarter and was disruptive as always in defence, racking up two steals and a block to get the Hawks’ offence going in transition.

Even Brooklyn’s YES Network commentator Sarah Kustok took note of it, saying Daniels had been “all over the floor”, whether it was his on-ball pressure or getting his hands in passing lanes.

Daniels added his second 3-pointer of the night soon after to put the Hawks up 69-66, with Simmons sitting at that point after finding himself in foul trouble.

When Simmons re-entered the game late in the third quarter it came as part of a defence-heavy line-up, playing with Noah Clowney, Ziaire Williams, Wilson and — for the first time — Claxton.

The Nets’ offence had spluttered in games with Simmons and Claxton sharing the floor last season, although it was only a brief glimpse of the two together on Thursday as Simmons picked up his fifth foul of the night shortly after.

But not before he picked up two more assists, including one where he drove towards a basket off a Claxton screen, collapsing the Hawks defence and passing to a wide-open Williams.

The game was well and truly in the balance entering the final quarter, tied at 83-83, and the fourth quarter ended up being relatively uneventful for Simmons, who turned the ball over twice.

The same can’t be said for Daniels, who was wiped out by Claxton, with the Nets big man ejected but not before the Australian guard confronted him in the stands after what was later deemed a Flagrant Foul 2.

Daniels picked up a technical foul for his actions and was later also caught up in a brief altercation with Thomas after he was called for a hard foul on De’Andre Hunter.

Speaking of Thomas, having been held in check for most of the game, he exploded for 20 points in the fourth quarter to power a late Nets comeback but it wasn’t enough in the end.

Thomas (33 points) led all scorers while Onyeka Okongwu had 28 and Trae Young scored a team-high 30, with Daniels proving the perfect backcourt complement to Atlanta’s superstar guard.