Ben Simmons has made his latest long-awaited return to the NBA court after almost three months on the sidelines and played a major role in the Brooklyn Nets' 147-114 win over the Utah Jazz.
Key points:
- Ben Simmons had not played since November 6 due to a back injury
- Simmons has only played 47 games for Brooklyn since being traded two seasons ago
- Simmons has expressed interest in playing for the Boomers at the Paris Olympics
Simmons came off the bench and nearly got a triple-double with 10 points (on 5/5 shooting), 11 assists (with no turnovers) and eight rebounds in just 18 minutes.
One particular play got the crowd and people at home hyped, when the Australian got a hand on a pass from Utah's Lauri Markannen, tipped it over the head of intended target Keyonte George, and chased the ball down for a slam dunk.
Simmons took a heavy fall going up for a block in the final four minutes of the game and was substituted out, but confirmed afterwards he was OK.
The point guard missed 12 weeks and 38 games with a nerve impingement in his back, the latest in a string of injuries that have scuppered his first two years at the Nets.
"It took a lot of effort and patience and time to get back to where I'm at now," Simmons said.
"Every single day, every morning, every day, I'm working to get back on the floor.
"For me, and everyone that has seen that and seen my discipline over the last two months, it's great to see it pay off."
Simmons had only joined the team for shoot-around on game day, but was in sync with his teammates immediately.
Mikal Bridges (33 points) and Cam Thomas (25 points) led all scorers.
"Other people played so well tonight because of the impact of Ben Simmons. It's that simple," Nets coach Jacque Vaughn said.
"Ben deserves an extreme amount of credit for the way he played tonight."
After the win, Simmons said he gets along with this squad better than any other in his eight seasons.
"This is probably one of the best teams in terms of just friendships I've been a part of," he said.
"Everyone gets along, we don't have egos or anything like that on the team. For me to be able to be in an environment like this is amazing.
"I get to come to work with a bunch of friends who want to get better and compete, so I'm happy."
Simmons's rocky road
Being happy to simply get on the court is a far cry from the teenager who was anointed as the heir to LeBron James and Magic Johnson before he had even played a minute of professional ball.
Since being picked by the Philadelphia 76ers first in the 2016 draft, Simmons has had an up-and-down career, epitomised by missing the 2016-17 campaign with a foot injury, then winning rookie of the year in his first season on court.
He made three All Star teams, an All-NBA team and two All-Defensive teams in his four playing seasons with the Sixers, where he formed an at-times dominant pairing with future MVP centre Joel Embiid.
But an ugly play-off exit in 2021 and criticism from Embiid, coach Doc RIvers and Philadelphia fans precipitated a messy spat between Simmons and the organisation.
Simmons was criticised for an apparent lack of effort on court, a lack of improvement in his jump shot, and his regular injuries.
While refusing to play the 2021-22 season (for which he was heavily fined), he was traded to Brooklyn for former MVP James Harden, landing on a team featuring fellow Aussie Patty Mills, champion and regular All Star Kyrie Irving, and another MVP, Kevin Durant.
Since then the team has fired coach Steve Nash and traded Mills, Durant and Irving.
Simmons played just 42 of 82 games in 2022-23 and started this season before succumbing to another back injury after six games, the last of which came on November 6.
His return and comments of contentment will be heartening for the Nets, who owe Simmons almost $120 million over this season and the next.
Fans will be cautiously optimistic about the chances of Simmons becoming a valuable contributor on a team currently five games outside a play-off spot in the eastern conference.
For Australian fans, Simmons has expressed interest in helping the Boomers defend their bronze medal at the Paris Olympics in July and August.
Coach Brian Goorjian said on the ABC's Offsiders program in October, before his latest back injury, "it's close" to becoming a reality.
"I'm very confident," Goorjian said.
"He looks in great shape, he's moving really well and I've got my eye on that for sure."
Goorjian said he wanted to see Simmons playing in the NBA again before he picked him, so this performance could be the start of a long road back for the undeniably talented 27-year-old.
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