Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn said he is “excited” about the prospects of getting to coach a healthy Ben Simmons after the former three-time NBA All-Star managed to play just 42 games for Brooklyn a season ago after dealing with numerous injuries.
Vaughn struck his usual optimistic tone when discussing the prospects of the guard/forward in an interview with NBA TV during the Nets’ NBA Summer League opener in Las Vegas.
“It’s been great: the correspondence, being able to check in with Ben. It’s been great as the other players are getting ready for the year, summertime, getting better,” Vaughn said when asked about the former All-Star’s mental and physical state, via Nets Daily. “I look forward to coaching a healthy Ben Simmons. That’s exciting for me. The team is excited to have him healthy, being part of our program and moving forward.
“He has an innate ability to impact the basketball game on both ends of the floor. So, we missed that in the Philly series and looking forward to it.”
Simmons arrived in Brooklyn during the 2021-22 season via a trade with Philadelphia for James Harden, but did not play that year after a back injury and his mental health kept him sidelined. The 26-year-old would make 42 appearances (33 starts) during a tumult-filled season for Brooklyn before making his final appearance in mid-February. He was shut down for the remainder of the season due to a knee issue in March.
“He is on the court. I think he would be okay if I told him to use those terms. No setbacks,” Vaughn later told reporters about Simmons’ workouts. “I talked to him a day, two days ago, maybe something around there. We’ll continue to see him [improve] as our whole group moves through the offseason.”
However, the head coach did not outline a timeline for Simmons.
“I’m not going to get into any dates or anything,” Vaughn said. “My expectation is I look forward to coaching him healthy and our entire group being able to start the year together and go through training camp together…Those things are important for our group.”
Simmons’ offensive numbers were down a season ago and were marked by a seeming lack of offensive aggression with his average number of field goal attempts (5.6) down significantly from his last season with the Sixers.
Last season he averaged 6.9 points, 6.3 rebounds and 6.1 assists in 26.3 minutes for the Nets. In 2020-21, Simmons posted 14.3 points, 7.2 rebounds and 6.9 assists in 32.4 minutes on 10.1 field goal attempts per game.