The Brooklyn Nets registered yet another loss in the absence of an injured Kevin Durant on Thursday. The Nets led by Kyrie Irving lost their 17th game of the season against the first-seeded Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference by 109-98. Coming off a 12-game winning streak, the main concern for the second-seeded Nets during their second loss in the last four games was the lack of scoring from their experienced star Ben Simmons. Despite securing nine rebounds and 13 assists, Simmons only shot 0-for-3 from the field during the whole game. As a result, Shaquille O’Neal recently conveyed his ‘aggressive’ take on Ben Simmons’ outing during his post-game analysis on the NBA on TNT broadcast. However, Kyrie Irving’s response to his teammate’s 0-point showing might upset the Lakers legend’s opinion.

Shaquille O’Neal recently shared his opinion on Ben Simmons‘ latest performance on TNT’s Inside the NBA. The four-time NBA champ was joined by co-hosts Charles Barkley, Earlie Johnson, and Kenny Smith. During the show, Shaq opened up about what Simmons needed to do in a situation where Nets’ best player Durant was sitting on the sidelines due to an MCL sprain. However, Irving’s lighter take on Simmons’ performance could be contradictory to Shaq’s opinion.

Kyrie Irving on Ben Simmons’ 0-point game

After the loss against the Boston Celtics, Kyrie Irving assured in the post-game press conference that there was no added pressure on Ben Simmons from the team. Moreover, Irving also ended up requesting his teammate to work harder during his statement.

During the post-game press conference, Kyrie Irving stated, “He’s just gonna be himself. We’re not gonna put too much pressure on him. We’re gonna let this one particular game or any other games where he scored eight points, four points, it doesn’t matter.”

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The 2016 NBA champ added, “It’s all on us as a team to collectively put points on the board, and when he gets his opportunities, we just want him to be aggressive.”

Irving refrained from blaming Simmons who seemed to have seen a drop in form after the Nets’ 12-game winning streak. During the streak, Simmons averaged 7.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game while shooting 57.1% from the field. However, Ben Simmons has not scored above 10 points in his last six games.

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At the same time, this lighter take from Kyrie Irving might contradict Shaquille O’Neal as the Nets need more in terms of scoring from Simmons in KD’s absence.

Shaquille O’Neal on Ben Simmons’ recent performance

During a recent appearance on Inside the NBA, Shaquille O’Neal shared that Ben Simmons needed to do more in terms of scoring, especially in the absence of KD. Shaq reckoned that the three-time All-Star needed to focus on the scoring aspects of his game by making more shots and contributing consistently to the team’s total every game.

Further, Shaquille O’Neal stated, “Yes, you have to get assists and rebound. But, you have to deal with your score, we need you to be aggressive. He’s not even looking a the basket. He’s not even looking at the basket. I need, Kevin is not there. I need 12, 14, 16 points, I need you to be aggressive and score.”

Shaquille O’Neal acknowledged Simmons’ rebound and assist abilities. However, he was unimpressed by the lack of scoring from the Nets star. Moreover, Shaq suggested, “I need you to at least act like you want to score, he’s not even looking at the basket right now.”

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Hence, the take from Kyrie Irving about his Nets teammate’s performance might end up upsetting Shaq who urged Simmons to work on his scoring abilities.