There is finally a light at the end of the tunnel for Ben Simmons in his return from injury.
During Wednesday’s edition of ESPN’s “NBA Today,” reporter Marc Spears discussed how far Simmons has come in his recovery process from a recurring back injury that has sidelined the Nets guard for the better part of two seasons.
“I spoke to someone close to the LSU star (who said): ‘I would say he’s in the final stage of prep for the season and he has passed every benchmark and he is as healthy as he has ever been since his last year in Philly,'” Spears said. “‘Brooklyn has been incredibly supportive and the plan is for him to be the Nets point guard and primary ball handler this coming season.
“’The expectation is that he will fully resume his career at the level he had prior to leaving Philadelphia.’”
Claiming that Simmons will return to the level he was at during his tenure with the Sixers is a lofty statement.
Simmons averaged 15.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, 7.7 assists and 1.7 steals spanning four seasons with the Sixers, making three All-Star appearances, two All-Defensive Team selections and an All-NBA Third Team nod in 2019-20, as well as recording the most steals that same season.
Over the last two years, however, the Simmons saga has been something of a disaster.
It all began during Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021, when the Sixers trailed the Hawks by two late in the game, and Simmons inexplicably passed up a dunk with Hawks guard Trae Young closing in on him.
The Sixers ultimately lost that game, and Simmons was scrutinized by fans and media the entire offseason.
Simmons sat out the remainder of his time under contract in Philadelphia while waiting for a trade, citing he was not “mentally ready” to play.
His desire for a trade was granted in February 2022, when the Sixers sent him to Brooklyn in the deal that also included James Harden.
Though Simmons had mentioned discomfort in his back and passed the physical exam to complete the trade, it was soon discovered that he had herniated discs.
At the time, former Brooklyn coach Steve Nash said Simmons would miss the team’s final few regular-season games and the play-In tournament, but there was optimism he could return for the Nets’ first-round playoff series against the Celtics.
The optimism did not come to fruition, with Simmons missing games in a series where his defensive skills would have helped against Celtics stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Not only did Brooklyn get swept, but fans got a glimpse of what was to come with Simmons and his availability issues.
Last season, the former All-Star was finally ready to play basketball again after a year-long hiatus.
This iteration of Simmons was a far cry from the Philadelphia version, though.
He averaged 6.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, 6.1 assists, and 1.3 steals — all career lows.
What’s more, Simmons’ health was also a constant issue and he played in just 42 games with 33 starts before he was shut down for the year in February due to a nerve impingement in his back.
Even when he was healthy enough to play, the forward rarely looked as comfortable on the floor as he once did.
While he still had his playmaking chops, dropping highlight dimes throughout the year, he never found his offensive game, oftentimes not even looking to score and instead passing.
Former Nets guard Kyrie Irving even yelled at Simmons mid-game, saying, “Shoot it Ben,” after he was given the ball right in front of the basket, but instead passed to Kevin Durant for a jumper.
For Simmons to be expected to come into the season as the starting point guard and produce at the All-NBA level he was once at is asking a whole lot given the forward’s history.
In addition to his availability issues, if Simmons does not perform, who is to say he won’t be relegated to the bench in place of proven guard Spencer Dinwiddie — who could be motivated as a free-agent-to-be.
That said, are the Nets willing to put Simmons on the bench when he’s making $37.9 million this upcoming year?
If not, does Simmons even have what it takes to put together starting-level numbers throughout the season, let alone return to the level of production from his Sixers days?
Having Simmons as an option means there will likely be more questions than answers, but the one thing that is certain is that he is expected to be ready for the start of the 2023-24 season.
Time will tell just how productive he will truly be.
