With the 2024-25 NBA season around the corner, the Brooklyn Nets are aiming to recover Ben Simmons as the player than can lead them to the next level. After battling a persistent back injury over the past few years, Simmons appears rejuvenated during the team’s training camp. Ahead of their preseason game against the Los Angeles Clippers, Simmons opened up about his injury struggles last season.
Whether this will be the season that Simmons leads the Nets remains to be seen, but the former All-Star was confident when asked about his current form. “I feel physically ready to play at a high level,” he said about his feelings during this training camp.
He also shed light on the challenges he faced last season: “Last year, I got to the point where I was good enough to get on the court, but I wasn’t 100 percent, which was the situation. It was it was, but at the end of the day, I’m here now, and this is the situation. I feel great. I put a lot of time and work in.”
Simmons managed to play in just 15 games last season: he played only six games before he was sidelined by a nerve impingement due to a herniated disc, and then made a comeback late in the season to play nine more games before he had to be shut down again.
Ben Simmons #10 of the Brooklyn Nets poses for photos during NBA Media Day at Brooklyn Nets HSS Training Center on September 30, 2024 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.
What did Ben Simmons say last year?
Being a three-time All-Star is no small feat, and with a fully fit Ben Simmons, the Brooklyn Nets could surprise a lot of people this season. However, the setup for this year bears similarities to the 2023-24 season, with Simmons once again emphasizing that he’s “feeling 100%.”
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When asked about his health by Andscape‘s Marc J. Spears in 2023, Simmons reflected on his recovery process, saying: “I don’t think people realize how bad it was in terms of physically how I was feeling and what I was able to do on the floor. But I feel I’m at 100% now. Right now, I’m just building back to where I’m playing. I haven’t played in a while. Just taking hits and getting my body used to that.”
Ben Simmons about his last surgery
After two consecutive seasons cut short by back injuries, Ben Simmons’ past statements about his health have fallen short of expectations. However, following surgery on his disc in May- his second in as many years -Simmons and his medical team adopted a new rehabilitation approach that may offer better results this time around.
When asked whether fans can expect a different outcome this season, Simmons was confident: “Yeah, I think just different eyes, a different surgeon. Honestly, compared to the last surgery I feel a lot different, a lot freer. I didn’t have any setbacks throughout the process of the rehab, which is the most positive thing for me. It tells me that the surgery was successful.”
