Stop us if you have heard this one before, Brooklyn Nets fans: Ben Simmons is getting healthier.
Simmons’ time with the franchise has been a frustrating experience so far, to say the least. But it is undeniable that Simmons is a talented player. His issues mainly revolve around his availability.
Now, the Aussie is hoping to start the 2023 season without limitation. “He believes he’ll be able to be 100% by time season starts. I don’t know if he plays in first couple of preseason games, but it’s a progression.” That’s the latest update on Simmons, per Marc Spears on Vincent Goodwill’s Good Word With Goodwill podcast.
This upcoming season is a pivotal one for Simmons’ NBA career. Last year, his first with the Nets, Simmons set career lows in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and minutes per game. He also only played in 42 games, missing large swaths of the season due to various injuries.
It was a far cry from players Simmons used to be. He won the 2017-18 Rookie of the Year award, and made three consecutive All-Star games from 2019-2021 with the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Nets acquired Simmons for James Harden in February of 2022, hoping the point forward would gel with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving and make the team a title contender. But Simmons never got on the court for the Nets that season.
The 2022-23 season was an even bigger disaster, as the team eventually shipped off Durant and Irving via in-season trades, while Simmons missed the team’s final 24 regular season games and all of the playoffs.
With Simmons at the point where he should be physically ready to participate in 3-on-3 situations at practice, Brooklyn fans might let themselves dream of the former 76er returning to his All-Star form and emerging as a key piece for the Nets moving forward.
The latest positive piece of news about Simmons is a start.
Source link : https://clutchpoints.com/nets-news-ben-simmons-health-progression-delight-fans
Author : Jimmy Wright
Publish date : 2023-09-08 04:06:12
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