Brooklyn Nets guard Ben Simmons has been through plenty of injuries in the past few seasons as he has dealt with back and knee ailments since his days with the Philadelphia 76ers. In fact, mostly due to his latest back injury, a nerve impingement in his lower left back, Simmons has played just 11 of Brooklyn’s 52 games this campaign.
This season has shown why Simmons is one of the more polarizing players in the NBA. He is clearly one of the more talented players in the league due to his unique combination of size, athleticism, vision, and passing ability that allows him to make an major impact on a game without having to shoot any perimeter shots.
In Saturday’s 123-103 win over the San Antonio Spurs, Simmons dropped 13 points, three rebounds, five assists, three steals, and two blocks in 22 minutes of floor time. The numbers don’t do enough justice for what Simmons did on the court and why he is so pivotal to the Nets’ progression through this rebuild.
Simmons finished the game shooting 6-of-7 from the field, including shooting 2-for-3 on shots from at least eight feet away from the rim. As a testament of what Simmons has been teasing all of these years, he hit a pretty fluid fadeaway jumpshot on Spurs guard Blake Wesley.
TOO SMOOTH @BenSimmons25 pic.twitter.com/vB8a79yBbm
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) February 11, 2024
Over the past few games, it’s clear that Simmons has been feeling better on a physical level as he is looking more pain-free by the game. He said as much after the game to the media, as written by Brian Lewis of the New York Post:
“Feeling better. It takes time. It’s one of those things where it’s just up and down each day. But, I’m just staying with it. The storm doesn’t last forever. You know, I’m gonna get back to where I was. So, just staying on it. And, you know, each day is a day to get better.”
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