Loss of life. Taxes. Ben Simmons coming off an harm.
However for jaded Nets followers who understandably don’t wish to imagine the hype, this time it’s not coming from the oft-injured Simmons, or his camp.
This time it’s coming from his Nets teammates, who repeatedly introduced his identify up unbidden Monday and mentioned the previous All-Star appears good.
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“I don’t take a look at it as a rebuild. I’m attempting to win,” mentioned Dorian Finney-Smith, pausing and including, “Particularly if Ben is Ben, I really feel like we’ve obtained likelihood to win some video games.” OK, the issue with Simmons and well being is that ifs flip into lengthy photographs.
“It’s my job to return in and compete,” Simmons mentioned.
The purpose guard has missed 189 of 246 video games over the earlier three seasons with a nasty again, nerve impingements forcing two microscopic partial discectomies in 2022 and once more this previous March.
“Even once I obtained traded right here, I needed — as a result of I believed he was wholesome — to play with him on the court docket. And in minicamp, we had an entire week the place we performed collectively, and it regarded nice. So I’m actually enthusiastic about him being wholesome,” Dennis Schroder mentioned.
“All of the noise and social media, what all people was saying about him, I’m actually trying ahead for him to close all people up.”
It doesn’t matter what Simmons does, it’s unlikely to close up a few of his detractors. However he and the Nets simply wish to see him get — and keep — on the ground.
So far as the web haters on social media, he’s not apprehensive about that.
“It’s nothing to say to them as a result of I don’t actually know them. I’m right here to play basketball. The precedence is simply to play and be wholesome. So all the opposite stuff that’s been mentioned, that’s simply phrases from people who have one thing to say about one thing they don’t have an understanding of or info on,” mentioned Simmons, who — at the very least in the meanwhile — bodily feels again to his outdated All-Star self.
“Yeah. I really feel like when my physique is wholesome, that’s the boldness I all the time have, and that’s the place I’m at proper now. Bodily I really feel nice and able to go. And so it’s simply getting reps, sport reps and taking part in.”
These camp reps will assist him work out spacing points with Nic Claxton. Nonetheless, the Nets are 31-26 the final two years when Simmons has performed and simply 46-61 when he didn’t.
For perspective, that’s a 45-win tempo with, and 35-win tempo with out.
“I feel folks neglect me as a participant once I’m wholesome. You recognize I can play basketball, I’m fairly good proper?” requested Simmons, who sadly hasn’t been wholesome usually.
Now, with a $40.3 million expiring deal on a tanking crew, it behooves him to remain match as he heads to unrestricted free company subsequent summer season.
“Yeah, for me it’s vital simply to be wholesome. I wish to play basketball at a excessive stage and get probably the most I can out of my physique. And that’s the main target. The cash’s good and all that, however I wish to play and play wholesome. On the finish of the day, I really like taking part in basketball. And that’s what I wish to do.”
This text first appeared on The New York Put upand was reproduced with permission.