When healthy, Ben Simmons is a difference-maker. A 6-foot-10 point guard who can race out on fastbreaks and find teammates for open shots. He's a lockdown defender and while his offensive game leaves a lot to be desired, he's an impactful starter when he can stay on the court.
The only problem is, when the Nets traded James Harden to Philadelphia for a package revolving around Simmons, they didn't get the All-Star level point guard, but a physically compromised and mentally taxed version of him.
Simmons never saw meaningful minutes when Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving were on the team and Sean Mark's vision of forming a new big three after the departure of Harden went by the wayside.
Simmons underwent back surgery in the 2022 offseason and returned for the 2022-23 season, still looking sluggish and not fully healthy. The Nets shut him down 42 games into the last campaign and were hopeful that the 2023-24 campaign would mark a breakout season for the former All-Star.
Things looked promising early, but once again an injury has Simmons sidelined and set to be revaluated in two weeks after a nerve issue cropped up in his back.
Nets fans have been on this rollercoaster journey with Simmons and the Nets medical staff before. For Brooklyn, anything Simmons adds this year will be a bonus, but the organization cannot put its trust and faith fully in the idea of him returning to full health this season, if not ever.
Marks needs to look to the free agent market to look for backup point guards and utlize the veteran savvy of floor general Spencer Dinwiddie to lead the way. Led by emerging star Cam Thomas, borderline All-Star Mikal Bridges and a team that runs nine deep including a supporting cast of Lonnie Walker, Dennis Smith Jr,, Dorrian Finney-Smith and others, Brooklyn is in a good position.
If Simmons is able to get back on to the court and make the impact he did early this season pushing the pace in the open floor, then great, but Nets fans shouldn't be holding their breath.
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