The three-time NBA All-Star and power forward of the Brooklyn Nets, Ben Simmons, was once considered an incredible upcoming talent; however, his path dwindled because of injuries he faced early in his stellar career.
His height and ball-handling prowess made him a force to be reckoned with, but this generational talent had struggled in the last three seasons. He only played 48 games out of 246 in his last three seasons.
He was with the Philadelphia 76ers from 2016 to 2022 and is now with the Brooklyn Nets. Simmons had been enduring difficulties in his play due to injuries related to his back and knees.
In 2023–24, he played only six games, and the 2016 NBA Draft first round’s first overall pick also revealed earlier, when he gave an update on his injury, that he had considered retiring from the game as well.
“There was a point when I got hurt this season, I was like ‘holy sh*t, I don’t know if I could do this again’… it’s just something in you. For me, I’m just not going to stop. I just don’t have that in me to stop.”
– Ben Simmons
(h/t @BillyReinhardt)
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) January 15, 2024
Simmons shares, “There was a point when I got hurt this season, I was like ‘holy sh*t, I don’t know if I could do this again’… it’s just something in you. For me, I’m just not going to stop. I just don’t have that in me to stop. It’s just what I want to do, I want to continue to play basketball. Playing this game keeps me going.”
— Ben Simmons (@BenSimmons25) October 23, 2023
In the six games he has played so far, NBA Rookie of the Year 2018 has an average of 6.5 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 6.7 assists. The talented player is now wrapping up his rehabilitation process and is preparing to play again for the Brooklyn Nets. The squad currently stands in the tenth spot in the Eastern Conference and is 16-22 for the season.
Simmons’ primary goal is to fully recover from his injury lapses, and he considers that going strong in the season will give him and the Nets a chance to aim for the playoffs and achieve more in the season.
He also shared via Hoops Hype, “Things happen at untimely times and for me it’s like part of the journey, you got to embrace every day, every moment, every workout. That’s what creates the story. This is just another part of my journey and another test that I have to go through.”
“It’s hard to explain to somebody when they’ve never dealt with an injury like this. It’s not a physical thing, you’re not spraining your ankle, you’re not twisting your knee. I don’t want to be back for one game and then out. I want to be back and help this team win and get to the playoffs and see where we can go.”
