Jordi Fernández’s first major decision as Brooklyn Nets head coach came on Friday night ... Fernández had not quite needed to address this lineup matter yet, as Claxton was presumably building up to game fitness, and both players hadn’t coincided ...

Brooklyn Nets guard Ben Simmons came off the bench for the first time this season in Friday's loss at the Boston Celtics.

Simmons played his seventh game of the season. Last season, he played in six of the Nets’ first seven games before suffering a pinched nerve that kept him out for 2 1/2 months and eventually limited him to 15 games.

Simmons (back) did not play in Saturday's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, however, against the Boston Celtics, the point forward came off the bench for the first time this s

Nic Claxton and Ben Simmons haven’t started together so far this season. And it doesn’t sound like it’ll happen until Simmons makes it happen, until he plays so well that Nets coach Jordi Fernandez has no choice but to start him.

Ben Simmons found himself in an unusual place to start Friday’s Brooklyn Nets-Boston Celtics matchup: the bench. After the three-time All-Star started his first six games of the season, head coach Jordi Fernandez removed him from the lineup in favor of Nic Claxton,