The Ben Simmons comeback summer public relations circuit has had more stops than the Eras Tour. First there were the leaks from reporters saying he looked good in workouts, and then Simmons himself spoke to the media saying he wanted to come back and dominate.
The latest stop is closest to home, where the Brooklyn Net spoke to Brian Lewis of the New York Post and hit the same notes about finally being healthy and wanting to remind everyone what he can do.
“I’d say [the hardest part was] not be able to do your job to the fullest. I never have excuses, I never tried to say anything about different things going on. But I was dealing with an injury at the time, so I did what I could in the moment,” Simmons said. “And I owe it to everybody, the fans and everybody, to get back to where I need to be. That’s what I did this summer to get back.”
Simmons dropped a couple of times in the interview how much more he likes the makeup and attitude of this roster, suggesting that the one he was traded into — with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving — had people looking out for their individual numbers more than team success.
“[I feel] amazing. I think this is the first summer where I’ve really had to just get healthy and get back on track to where I need to be,” Simmons said. “I’m super excited to be on Brooklyn, obviously. And then we’ve got a great team, a great coach in Jacque Vaughn. So I’m excited. I think this year will be completely different to the past couple.”
All the words are great, Simmons is saying all the right things.
That does not matter. Actions matter. Simmons has played 42 games as a Net across a season and a half, the first thing he has to do is show he is healthy and can stay on the court (and for his sake, let’s hope his back issues are in his past). He has to return to being an All-Defensive Team level player again (or at least close to it). On offense, Simmons has been clear he wants the ball in his hands and wants to return to the point forward role where he has had the most success, but to get there he has to show he has that burst again. Can he get to the rim at will like he used to? Ultimately, he’s got to find at least be willing to take a jumper (89.4% of his shots came within 10 feet of the rim last season). Point guards who can’t shoot are ultimately relegated to specific roles in today’s NBA. Last season, Jacque Vaughn relegated Simmons to a backup center role working out of the dunker’s spot.
If Simmons wants more than that, he has to earn it. The talking is nice, but the actions are all that matters now.