Did Kyrie Irving yell at Ben Simmons to shoot the ball vs. Bucks?

Did Kyrie Irving yell at Ben Simmons to shoot the ball vs. Bucks? originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Brooklyn Nets fans seemingly aren’t the only ones clamoring for Ben Simmons to be more aggressive on offense.

During Brooklyn’s loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday, Kyrie Irving appeared to yell at Simmons to shoot the ball after passing up a shot from close range.

In the third quarter, Irving drove down the lane on a fast break and dropped off a pass in the paint to Simmons. Simmons caught the ball with a few defenders around him, took one dribble and passed it back out to Kevin Durant at the top of the 3-point arc — all without ever appearing to even look at the hoop. Durant then dribbled into a pull-up jumper from the free throw line, which he made.

But after Simmons passed it to Durant, the TV broadcast picked up someone shouting “Shoot it, Ben!” And based on how Irving was gesturing under the hoop, many on social media believed the comment came from the seven-time All-Star.

The viral moment come amidst another very quiet scoring night for Simmons, who posted four points while shooting 2-for-7 overall and 0-for-2 from the foul line as the Nets dropped to 1-3 on the young season.

Through Brooklyn’s first four contests, Simmons has yet to tally more than seven points in a game. He’s totaled 21 points in 117 minutes of action while shooting 9-for-20 overall and 3-for-9 on free throws. That’s an average of five shots and 2.25 free throws per game.

While Simmons has averaged over seven assists, his scoring impact and aggressiveness are way down from past seasons. In 2020-21, his most recent season on the court, the three-time All-Star put up 14.3 points on 10.1 field goal attempts and 4.9 free throw attempts per game with the Philadelphia 76ers.