Ben Simmons' latest gym photos leaves Nets fans buzzing
09/17/2024 12:36 AM
The past three seasons have been a prolonged nightmare for Ben Simmons. A former All-Star and All-Defense Team member, Simmons’ stock has fallen off a cliff, thanks in large part to a combination of back problems and confidence issues. Now 28 years of age, Simmons has become emblematic of the Brooklyn Nets’ fall from a legitimate championship contender in 2020 to one of the worst teams in the association entering the 2024-25 season.
But as is tradition, every offseason is a time of hope for Simmons — hope that, perhaps, he can finally put his injury issues in the rearview mirror and return to the two-way athletic playmaking force he once was. The Nets certainly hope that the 2024-25 season will be a bounce-back year for the 28-year-old point forward — and the early indications are that Simmons is well on his way to a major comeback year.
Fans, however, aren’t too convinced even though famous basketball trainer Chris Brickley posted a few images on Instagram showing the grind Ben Simmons has been through this offseason. They know better than to believe that this is indeed the year Simmons returns to his Philadelphia 76ers form, as the past few years have borne fruit to nothing but disappointment surrounding the three-time All-Star.
“Yall say the same thing every single season,” Instagram user @leelijaht commented on Brickley’s post.
“Seen this movie before,” wrote @unklj_c.
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On X, there was a similar atmosphere of doubt surrounding the legitimacy of Ben Simmons’ comeback trail for the Nets. Brickley has been hyping up Simmons and the work he has been putting in, but fans are wary of Simmons’ history and they know not to jump to conclusions given the 28-year-old’s track record.
“As a Ben Simmons believer I've seen this 1000 times. Only way he can prove it is on the basketball court and I mean NBA,” X user @dubsvish wrote.
“The summer is 2024…. I am still getting Ben Simmons hype tweets and videos. When will it end,” @Ske7chieSAUCE asked.
Simmons has a lot to prove moving forward; he is also in the final year of his contract, so time is ticking on him as he looks to play his way into another NBA deal. He, of course, has to stay healthy first and foremost.
Ben Simmons and the Nets’ fall from grace
Ben Simmons’ downfall has been widely-documented. Simmons’ confidence woes rose to the forefront during the 2021 NBA playoffs, when he couldn’t make his free throws consistently resulting in an aversion to taking shots — even ones close from the basket.
Simmons and the 76ers then failed to see eye-to-eye, with the former holding out of the 2021-22 season after feeling as though he was scapegoated by the team. The Nets then decided that he was worthy of being the centerpiece of a James Harden trade, with Simmons potentially filling the third star role for the team alongside Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
We all know what happened next: Simmons did not return to action in the immediate aftermath of the trade. The Nets got swept in the 2022 playoffs as a result. And then the following year, Simmons played in just 42 games as the Nets imploded before his very eyes. The following year, Simmons was being hyped up all offseason long, and he even began the season on a promising note, only for him to play in just 15 games.
With the Nets looking to rebuild, can Simmons follow their lead and rehabilitate his career as well?
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