NEW YORK — Trendon Watford already had a busy Wednesday ahead of him as he was scheduled to practice with the Long Island Nets, the G League affiliate of the Brooklyn Nets. That practice would have been enough for him to just relax for the rest of the day, but once Ben Simmons was ruled out for the game against the Los Angeles Clippers, Watford’s day also became longer.
“Just who I am, honestly,” Watford said after putting up nine points, five rebounds, two assists, and three steals in Wednesday’s 100-93 win over the Clippers. There was some confusion earlier in the day as to Watford’s availability against the Clippers as the Nets initially said that Watford was sent to Long Island to practice.
It turns out that Watford’s availability potentially hinges on whether Ben Simmons, who was ruled out with left hip soreness a few hours before tip off, is available to play in a given game. Watford is similar to Simmons in that both players are considered point forwards with the way that they can handle the basketball and set up teammates.
“I heard Ben was out right when I got on the court,” Watford said. Despite going through a high-intensity practice earlier in the day, Watford still had more in the tank and Brooklyn needed everything that he was able to give. “I just had to shift my mind into alright, now I’m about to play. I didn’t know it was gonna be 20 minutes but, yeah man, I feel good. I feel like I could do it all over again.”
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