death. tax. Ben Simmons has returned from injury.
But for jaded Nets fans who understandably don't want to believe the hype, this time it's not coming from the injury-prone Simmons or his camp.
This time it's from his Nets teammates, who brought up his name without permission multiple times Monday and said the former All-Star looked good.
“I don't think of it as a rebuild,” Dorian Finney-Smith said, “trying to win,” before pausing to add, “Win some games, especially if Ben is Ben. I think we have a chance.”
Well, the problem with Simmons and his health is that it would be a huge failure if that happened.
“It’s my job to come out and compete,” Simmons said.
The point guard missed 189 of 246 games over the past three seasons with lower back pain, and neuropathy forced him to undergo two microscopic partial resection surgeries in 2022 and March of this year.
“Even when he was traded here, I thought he was healthy and wanted to play with him on the court. We played together for a week in minicamp and it was a lot of fun. So I'm really excited that he's healthy,” Dennis Schroder said. “All the noise and social media and what everyone's saying about him, I'm really looking forward to him shutting everyone up.”
Nothing Simmons does is likely to silence some of his critics. But he and the Nets just want to see him on the floor and stay there.
As for the online hate on social media, he's not worried about that.
“I don't know them well so I don't have anything to say to them. I came here to play basketball. My priorities are just playing and being healthy. I mean, so far Everything that was said was just the words of people who had something to say about something they didn't understand or didn't have information about,” Simmons said. My old All-Star self.
“Yeah. When my body is healthy, it always gives me confidence and I feel like I'm where I am right now. Physically I feel great and I'm ready. . So just get some reps, get some game reps, and play.”
These camp personnel will help solve the spacing issue with Nic Claxton. Still, the Nets were 31-26 the last two years Simmons played, and just 46-61 when he didn't play.
For perspective, this is a 45-win pace if there is, a 35-win pace if not.
“If I'm healthy, I think people forget about me as a player. I know I can play basketball, but I'm pretty good at it, right?” Unfortunately, Simmons is often in poor health. So I asked.
His $40.3 million contract with the tank team is currently expiring, so he has an obligation to stay healthy as he heads into unrestricted free agency next summer.
“Well, it's important to me to be healthy. I want to play basketball at a high level and get the most out of my body. And that's the focus. It's nice to have the money, but I… I want to be healthy and have fun. At the end of the day, I love playing basketball. And that's what I want to do.”
