Ben Simmons is exactly who he used to be, and that’s OK with Nets

By Yaron Weitzman
FOX Sports NBA Writer

NEW YORK — Ben Simmons returned to the court Monday night — 471 days removed from his last bit of NBA action in the 2021 playoffs — and, well, he looked almost exactly like Ben Simmons looked during his final year in a Sixers uniform. The good, the bad, the impressive, the confounding.

There he was dashing down the floor, creating a one-man fast break and dropping off no-look dimes to streaking cutters — and there he was, camped out under the basket, often for entire possessions.

There he was, running the court and throwing down a right-handed dunk — and there he was, clanking his lone two free-throw attempts off the rim.

If you’re one of those people who think it’s important to highlight all the things he does on the court, then you likely walked away from the Nets‘ first preseason game of the 2022-2023 season feeling like Simmons is the player who could connect all the dots in Nets-land and elevate them into the NBA Finals.

If you’re someone who finds his inability to shoot and refusal to attack the basket not only maddening but also an act of sabotage that cripples his team, well, you probably saw some of that Monday night, as well.

Simmons has long been an NBA version of a Rorschach test. People perceive what they want, and his debut was no different.

“It’s all coming back slowly,” Simmons told reporters after the Nets’ 127-108 preseason loss to Philadelphia. “It’s a process, though.”

The first bit of good news: Physically, Simmons, who finished the game with six points, five assists and four rebounds in 19 minutes of action, looked fine. There were no lingering limitations from the back injury that required surgery and contributed to his absence last season. Simmons looked fluid and fast. After the game he mentioned that “getting down in a stance” was a bit more difficult post back surgery, but added that he had no concerns.

And with him, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving all sharing the floor, we saw flashes of just how overwhelming the Nets’ offense could become with him. The Nets didn’t need any more scorers, but a player who could help them kick their affinity for iso-ball — they finished last season No. 1 in isolation frequency, according to NBA advanced stats, a habit that contributed to their fall to 10th in offensive efficiency — would certainly help.

That’s one reason the team — from general manager Sean Marks to head coach Steve Nash to Irving and Durant — is so excited to have Simmons back on the court. Simmons has always had a way of fostering an offensive flow, and it was clear Monday night that his time away has not diminished this skill. 

One possession he found an open shooter with a pinpoint cross-court pass. 

On another, he was able to utilize all the space being given to him to set up Joe Harris for a spot-up top-of-the-key 3.

He still spent too much time lingering down by the basket, letting the Sixers get away with gifting him all sorts of space. He still avoided contact in the paint. But the Nets believe they have enough firepower to withstand those flaws. In their view, Simmons simply doing the things he’s comfortable doing is enough to help plug their holes. 

“We want to make the game a lot easier for us this year instead of utilizing all that energy just to get a bucket,”  Irving said after the game, adding: “There was just a lot, a lot of random isolation and having Ben being able to play the 1, the 4 and the 5 adds some dimensions to our offense and I think that’s what makes us dangerous, that ability to be flexible, adaptable and selfless.”  

What any of this looks like two, three and four months from now is impossible to predict. We all know the deal with this group. No team boasts a higher ceiling, no team is more combustible. Entering the season, the biggest questions revolved around the team’s three stars: 

Can Durant remain happy and healthy for an entire year? Will Irving commit to the team? Does Simmons even want to play? It appears, one of those questions has been answered. 

“It felt good to be out there,” Simmons said after the game, before pausing, smiling and then offering a clarification. 

“S—, it felt great.”

Yaron Weitzman is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. He is the author of “Tanking to the Top: The Philadelphia 76ers and the Most Audacious Process in the History of Professional Sports.” Follow him on Twitter @YaronWeitzman.