Ben Simmons has been working his way back to the game after being inactive and away from play since last summer. According to Brian Lewis of NY Post, the Nets’ forward entered the next phase of his recovery from a back surgery.
The three-time All-Star had successful microdiscectomy surgery in Los Angeles on May 5 with the hope of being ready for the Brooklyn Nets’ training camp in September. According to Brian Lewis, the Nets’ forward is right on schedule to be ready well before training camp.
Simmons was part of February’s blockbuster trade as the Sixers sent him to Brooklyn for James Harden. The Australian forward did not play any games either for Philadelphia or Brooklyn the last season.
He demanded out of Philadelphia the last offseason and sit out until he got traded to the Nets in February. Simmons ramped up the action in his first month in Brooklyn, but he wasn’t able to play due to back pain.
Simmons was a runner-up for the Defensive Player of the Year award a season earlier as the Sixers finished with the best record in the East with him being the primary defender and ball-handler.
The Nets will hope to build around the trio of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons next season as they want to return to title contention. Aside from Simmons’ recovery, Kyrie Irving signing a contract extension will be the main storyline for Brooklyn this offseason.
