Nets' Ben Simmons 'as healthy as he's ever been' since last season in Philly': report

""I would say he's in the final stage of prep for the season and has passed every benchmark and is healthy as he's ever been since his last year in Philly," Spears read from his phone. "Brooklyn has been incredibly supportive, and the plan is for him to be the Nets' point guard and primary ball handler this coming season. The expectation is he will fully resume his career at the level he was prior to leaving Philadelphia.""

""Simmons arrived in Brooklyn as part of the James Harden trade in Feb. 2022 but did not play for the Nets at all in the second half of that season due to a combination of mental health issues and his lower back maintenance. He underwent a microdiscectomy to help address a herniated disk in his lower back last offseason and proceeded to appear in 42 of Brooklyn's 82 regular-season games, averaging seven points, six rebounds and six assists per game.""

""The Nets, however, eventually shut Simmons down for the remainder of the season in February after it became clear he was playing at a limited capacity due to his lower back. The belief, from his camp, now is that Simmons' back injury may be a thing of the past. If this is, indeed, the case, and the Nets insert a healthy Simmons into the starting lineup at point guard, Brooklyn immediately becomes one of the league's top-ranked defensive teams, at least on paper.""

Ben Simmons has passed every rehabilitation benchmark and is in the final stage of preparation for the upcoming season, with his camp calling him as healthy as since his last year with the Philadelphia 76ers. He underwent a microdiscectomy last offseason for a herniated disk and played 42 of 82 games last season, averaging seven points, six rebounds and six assists. The Nets shut him down in February after limited capacity from his lower back became evident. The Nets plan for Simmons to be the starting point guard and primary ball handler. A healthy Simmons would significantly boost Brooklyn's defense in a lineup with Mikal Bridges, Nic Claxton and Dorian Finney-Smith.

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