The Brooklyn Nets expect Ben Simmons to be fully healthy for training camp. The three-time NBA All-Star missed the final 22 games of last season and didn’t play in the 2023 playoffs due to back and knee injuries.
Simmons has been working out all summer and hasn’t had any setbacks, according to Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn.
“We’ve had contact for sure. All of our guys have been locked in, really keeping us informed. … I’m looking forward to a healthy Ben Simmons and coaching him,” Vaughn said on July 7. “I’m not going to get into any dates or anything. My expectation is I look forward to coaching him healthy and our entire group being able to start the year together and go through training camp together. Those things are important for our group.”
Simmons was projected to be one of the faces of the NBA just a few years ago. He won the 2017-18 Rookie of the Year Award and made three All-Star teams, one All-NBA team and two All-Defensive teams with the Philadelphia 76ers.
However, Simmons never developed a jumper and he’s now considered one of the most overrated players in the league. The lefty missed the entire 2021-22 season due to a holdout with the Sixers and then a back injury with the Nets. Simmons played in just 42 games in 2022-23 with Brooklyn, averaging 6.9 points, 6.3 rebounds and 6.1 assists.
In 317 NBA games, Simmons has made only five 3-pointers. The LSU product signed a massive five-year, $177.2 million maximum rookie contract extension with Philadelphia in 2019. Simmons, 26, will make $37.9 million next season.
“He is on the court … no setbacks. I talked to him a day, two days ago. We’ll continue to see him [improve],” Vaughn said. “I’m going to go with Ben’s statement. We always want to look forward to the athlete being in the right frame of mind, the right space to be on the floor.”
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