NBA fans roast Ben Simmons for possibly playing first back-to-back of the season - "Hyping up someone for doing their job is insane"

Brooklyn Nets point guard Ben Simmons could reportedly suit up in his first back-to-back of the season after taking early season injury maintenance precautions. The news left NBA fans roasting the three-time All-Star for being celebrated for doing the bare minimum for his squad.

On Thursday, Brooklyn rallied for a 111-105 upset road victory over the shorthanded Milwaukee Bucks. Simmons nearly double-doubled during the contest, tallying eight points and nine assists to go along with four rebounds and one steal, shooting 44.4%.

Simmons entered the evening listed as questionable due to lower back injury management before being cleared to play. So, naturally, many assumed that he would take off the second leg of the Nets' back-to-back, Friday's home clash against the San Antonio Spurs.

However, according to the New York Post's Brian Lewis, Brooklyn coach Jordi Fernandez said postgame that Simmons "might play vs the Spurs." He added that "up until this point, Simmons hasn't been playing both ends of back-to-backs."

The report made the rounds on X/Twitter, with many fans mocking the oft-injured Simmons for making headlines for fulfilling his contract obligations.

"Hyping up someone (for) doing their job is insane," @clazi__ said.

"OMG, how crazy!!! Imagine not showing up to work more than one day at a time," @plart0 wrote.

"He's gotta be the first NBA player to ever do this????" @batmanbo1 said.

Meanwhile, others quipped that Simmons is no longer a high-level enough player for people to care whether or not he plays in back-to-backs.

"LOL, Ben is washed. We don't care about this," @clinkie44 said.

"How much does Ben Simmons pay these pages?" @PlayoffLucro wrote.

"I remember when Ben Simmons was a franchise player. Feels like a decade ago,"@JoshuaCReeves said.

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Ben Simmons taking on increased workload for Nets post-Dennis Schroder trade

In addition to possibly playing in his first back-to-back, Ben Simmons' all-around workload has increased following Brooklyn's Dennis Schroder trade on Dec. 15.

Since Schroder's departure to the Golden State Warriors, Simmons has served as the Nets' primary playmaker. Concurrently, Jordi Fernandez has lauded the 6-foot-10 guard's size and defensive versatility.

Across his last five outings, Simmons is averaging 9.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 8.6 assists and 1.2 steals per game, shooting 50.0%. He is averaging 30.2 minutes a night during that span, up from his season average of 24.9 mpg.

Given Brooklyn's lack of point guard depth, barring a trade or injury, Simmons will likely play a sizeable role for the foreseeable future.

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