Brooklyn Nets guard Ben Simmons. Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

Ben Simmons may no longer be the scourge of Brooklyn for long.

The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported on Monday that the former All-Star Simmons has already been cleared for three-on-three activities following his back surgery in May. Charania adds that Simmons is on track to be cleared for full five-on-five activities in the coming weeks and is expected to be ready for training camp in late September.

That is great news for the Nets forward and probably a bit unexpected given how tricky the recovery from back surgery can be, especially for a player who stands 6-foot-11. How Simmons will look over 14 months now since he last played in an NBA game is anybody’s guess. But this is at least a promising step in the right direction.

Of course, it has not been all positive this summer for Simmons, who is still owed more than $113M over the next three years. He recently had to address an unflattering report that emerged about him in the media.

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