Ben Simmons urgent to prove himself coming out of injury nightmare

Since there has been an NBA draft, there have been NBA draft busts. Many players who starred in college (or high school) and were viewed as franchise saviors ended up flaming out — and sometimes spectacularly. Generally, this occurs for a number of reasons, including injuries, a poor fit or an inability to handle the pressure. Rarely, however, do all three of these things affect one player. But that’s exactly what happened with Brooklyn Nets guard Ben Simmons.

When Simmons was drafted No. 1 overall by the 76ers in 2016, he arrived in Philadelphia with much fanfare. Coming off a stellar season at LSU, the team envisioned paring him with Joel Embiid to create perhaps the best tandem in the league.

For a couple of seasons, things looked promising. After missing the entire 2016-2017 season with an injury, Simmons played in all but four regular-season games over the next two years and helped lead the Sixers to two conference semifinals. It didn’t take long, however, for cracks to start to show.

Over the next two seasons, Simmons missed significant time with injuries. Then, after the 2021 postseason, he shouldered much of the blame for the Sixers early exit. What followed was a soap opera of sorts, with Simmons saying he wasn’t right physically or mentally and ultimately forcing a trade to Brooklyn.

With the Nets, Simmons was given something not all players in his situation get: a do-over. At age 26, this once-promising potential star could prove the naysayers wrong by showing why he was worthy of being that top draft pick all those years ago. So far, that hasn’t happened.

In two-plus seasons in Brooklyn, Simmons has played a total of 57 games, averaging 6.7 points and 6.7 rebounds when healthy — well below what he did in Philly. As has been the main issue throughout his career, Simmons just hasn't been able to stay healthy with the Nets, continually suffering knee and back injuries or reaggravating old ailments.

Now, with another season on the horizon, Simmons — who says he is fully healthy — is once again setting out to remind people that he belongs on an NBA court. 

“I think people forget me as a player when I am healthy. I can play basketball,” Simmons said to reporters. 

Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez couldn't agree more.

“A healthy Ben Simmons is a very, very, very, very good basketball player," Fernandez said. "Three-time All-Star. And that's what we got right now. We have a healthy Ben that has been working really hard the whole summer. He's done a great job getting his body ready to play and I'm very excited now to see a point guard on the court... We want to play fast, and nobody better than him to rebound, push, throw the ball ahead.”

The 2024-2025 season will mark the final year of Simmons’ current contract. If he doesn’t play well — or can’t play at all — he may not get another one. He may also go down as one of the biggest draft flops in recent history.