Markieff Morris Slams 'False Stories' About Ben Simmons' Struggles with Nets

Brooklyn Nets power forward Markieff Morris disputed a report from Shams Charania and Sam Amick of The Athletic regarding comments during a players-only meeting last month.

Here's a portion of the report released Wednesday:

"Sources with direct knowledge of the meeting, but who were granted anonymity so that they could speak freely, say that in that meeting Markieff Morris—a veteran leader on these Nets—spoke up in front of all of his teammates about how they need Simmons to succeed and that he has to respond when he deals with adversity on the court. Those sources all described a meeting where Simmons appeared to take Morris' words in stride and was responsive and attentive throughout."

Morris responded on social media:

The 33-year-old forward signed with the Nets in September to provide frontcourt depth. He played a similar role for the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat in recent years, and he won his first ring with L.A. in 2020.

Simmons has missed five of the team's first 15 games because of left knee soreness. The Nets own a 6-9 record.

His production when on the floor has also been modest at best. He's averaged 5.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.6 assists while playing 26.6 minutes per contest. He's made only eight of his 17 free-throw attempts (47.1 percent).

The Nets were betting on better performance at both ends of the floor when they acquired the three-time All-Star from the Philadelphia 76ers in February.

He sat out the start of last season with the Sixers to focus on his mental health. Following the trade, he was diagnosed with a back injury that caused him to miss the remainder of the campaign.

Brooklyn's front office decided against a full-scale roster reconstruction during the offseason. But there have been few signs so far that the team is ready to turn things around and emerge as a serious title contender.

Getting Simmons back into top form would be a major step in the right direction. That begins with keeping him on the floor for an extended period, which is far from guaranteed given the lingering nature of his knee injury.

Simmons is not listed on the injury report ahead of Thursday night's road clash with the Portland Trail Blazers as Brooklyn attempts to snap a two-game losing skid.