Ben Simmons says ‘people forget’ how good he is, but can he stay healthy long enough to remind us?

In three seasons, Ben Simmons has played in a grand total of 57 games for the Brooklyn Nets. Last year he managed just 15 appearances over which he averaged six points. 

Putting aside the mental struggles he has noted at various points dating back to his Philadelphia fallout, Simmons has endured one back ailment after another, the most recent of which required surgery in March when he underwent a microscopic partial discectomy to alleviate a nerve impingement. 

Recently Simmons’ agent revealed that his client is fully recovered from that procedure and will be a full go for training camp. On Monday, at Nets media day, Simmons sounded like a man on a mission to reclaim his status among the game’s elite. 

“I think people forget me as a player when I’m healthy,” Simmons said. “I can play basketball, and I’m pretty good, right? So for me it’s just being consistent with [staying healthy].” 

If you’re rolling your eyes at this, surely you’re not alone. First of all, Simmons has been entirely incapable of staying healthy for any length of time over the past three years, so that’s a hell of a qualifier to start with. On top of that, you can be forgiven if you are one of the many who have forgotten about Simmons the All-Star as that, too, was three years ago. It’s hard for me to remember who made last year’s All-Star team. 

That said, Simmons does have a point. He was pretty damn good before the infamous 2021 meltdown and the subsequent soap opera that ensued. He was imperfect, yes, but a big-time difference maker when the circumstances were to his favor. 

Simmons was, and still can be, a brilliant pace pusher and open-court facilitator, and he became one of the most versatile defenders in the league at 6-foot-10 with full-spectrum athleticism. This is a guy who once piled up 42 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds in a game without a functional outside shot. He made an All-NBA team, three All-Star teams and two All-Defense teams. He finished 12th in MVP voting in 2020-21. 

Yeah, it’s fair to say the masses have forgotten that player as Simmons has morphed into a punchline. He has brought some of that on himself, particularly with the way he handled the Philadelphia exit, but guess who’s in the last year of his contract? Simmons will make $40.3M this season and then we’ll really find out what teams think of him when his money is no longer guaranteed. 

If Simmons was ever going to be motivated to return to his long-former form, it’s this season, which, on a Nets team with absolutely zero incentive to actually win games, is basically a one-year tryout for Simmons with the whole league watching. If he doesn’t show he can do it now, nobody is going to care what he has to say at this time next year.