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Whenever Brooklyn Nets star Ben Simmons gets back on the floor, he owes the game.
“He got to come back and he got to give us something,” asserted Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett during ‘Ticket & The Truth’ presented by Showtime Basketball on April 2. “I’m talking about I need to see Ben Simmons in the f***** summer league. I need to see some summer workouts, all that s***. None of that f****** [Instagram] s***…I’m talking about some real-life workouts, bro. That’s what this is, that’s what the NBA is.”
Simmons has been out since the All-Star break with back soreness stemming from his microdiscectomy in May of 2022. The procedure typically takes 18 months to fully recover and the former first-overall pick is just under one calendar year.
He finished the campaign averaging 6.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 6.1 assists in 42 appearances all of which are career-lows before being shut down on March 28.
His unique skillset was invariably limited during his time on the floor.
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“If you listening, I want you to go back and find your roots,” Garnett pleaded in a segment lamenting load management. “Go back and find why you love playing the game, man. Straight up. You got a lot to give to the game, bro. Straight up. To shut him down and him have back issues and be going through this whole f****** song and dance…If your heart ain’t in it, man, it is what it is. I hate to say that, man. I think he got another run in him. But it’s going to have to be Ben Simmons, bro. It’s going to have to be him. Not his mom, not none of this collective around him and all – it’s going to have to be him. Straight up, bro. I want to see dude get back to killing.”
A Healthy Ben Simmons Could Unlock Nets
For all of the publicity that Mikal Bridges has rightfully earned since arriving at the trade deadline, Simmons remains the only Net with an All-Star appearance on his resume. Bridges’ time will certainly come but getting Simmons back to his peak is paramount.
He is in theory the missing piece to taking this newly-formed group to another level, whatever that may be.
Garnett adds that Simmons was only scratching the surface even at his previous peak.
“And then, two, we ain’t even seen Ben Simmons with the [jump shot]…He got a whole ‘nother f****** level, bro. Man, bro, it hurt me to see him shut down.”
Simmons’ lack of a jump shot has been an issue since before he entered the league despite countless offseason videos of his shooting them in workouts and practice – the kind Garnett is asking for.
But he can’t ever hope to make an impact if he’s constantly sidelined.
Ben Simmons’ Injury History Suggests Shortlived Return
The Nets could very well deem that Simmons’ injury history is substantial enough that they just need to get him healthy so they can boost his trade value enough not to require additional assets in any deal sending him out with over $78 million owed to him over the next two seasons.
He will have missed 120 games dating back to the beginning of last season when the 2022-23 campaign ends not including the postseason after missing all of last year.
Simmons also missed 30 of a possible 145 games from 2019-20 through the 2020-21 season.
There are many ways this entire situation could play out but they all begin with getting Simmons healthy and back on the floor contributing. Anything less leaves both sides in a holding pattern in which neither benefits.
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