Brooklyn Nets Forward Ben Simmons is coming back with a vengeance (at least this season that is).
The media has been doing its annual summer slop videos by posting him working out and shooting threes. Threes are not a part of Simmons’ arsenal. He’s only taken 36 career of them in his career.
Amidst his two injury-plagued seasons, Simmons is ready to return stronger than ever.
Ben Simmons Sends Powerful Message to the Rest of the NBA
In an interview with Marc Spears of ESPN, Ben Simmons says he’s ready to be a better player this year than last:
“For me to come back and dominate people will be great. I don’t intend to come back the same player I was [last season] because that’s not even close to where I am. I get excited because I’m like, ‘Damn I would [expletive] on the player I was last year. But I know where I was at last year, so it’s easy to say that. But it’s just fun to go and do the thing you love when you’re out there. That’s really it for me. I don’t really ask for too much.”
Ben Simmons has gone through a lot over the past few seasons. He chose not to dunk the ball over Trae Young in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals because of his poor free throw shooting throughout the playoffs. He had a public holdout from the 76ers after critiques from former coach Doc Rivers and Joel Embiid. His eventual trade to the Brooklyn Nets to team up with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant (Simmons didn’t play out well, as he hurt his back again. Simmons later revealed on JJ Redick’s podcast that the latest back injury occurred while he was walking up steps.
Is it fair to expect Ben Simmons to play like his old self? No. At this point in his career, Simmons is a limited player. He can’t shoot anywhere outside of five feet. His defense pre-back injury was elite, but can he return to being an elite defender? Maybe. But with his three-year track record of dealing with confidence issues and injuries, how can anyone expect him to play like he did before?
Being a professional athlete is as much mental as it is physical. Sure, Ben Simmons can do walking lunges with 45 LB dumbells and take open threes in an LA Fitness environment, but can he perform when it matters? What’s always been the knock on Simmons is that he doesn’t elevate his game when the lights shine the brightest.
If he stays healthy, he should help lead the Brooklyn Nets to playoffs next year, but anything outside of that where we see the 2018-2019 Ben Simmons coming back probably won’t happen.
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