“While seeing will be believing for a long-skeptical NBA community, Brooklyn Nets forward Ben Simmons appears to have his All-Star swagger back mentally and believes his battered body will be rejuvenated for a comeback chapter next season now that he feels the best he has in two years.
“I’m excited because I know I can do it,” Simmons told ESPN Andscape on Aug. 25. “So, that’s the exciting part for me. [Last Thursday] night, I’m like, ‘Yo, let’s get back in the gym.’ I’m excited. I get to do something I love to do at a high level. Regardless of what people say, I’m a three-time All-Star, All-NBA player, [All-] Defensive Team. I’ve done things. I’m not somebody that hasn’t done anything.
After moving from his offseason home in Los Angeles to Miami Beach, Simmons has been working out five days a week for at least five hours per day to get his body ready for the 2023-24 NBA season. He told Andscape that he not only plans to be ready for the start of next season for the Nets but has a goal of returning to “dominate people” and returning to his All-Star form after so much chaos in recent years.
“For me to come back and dominate people will be great,” Simmons said. “I don’t intend to come back the same player I was last [season], because that’s not even close to where I am. I get excited because I’m like, ‘Damn, I would [expletive] on the player I was last year.’ But I know where I was at last year, so it’s easy to say that. But it’s just fun to go and do the thing that you love when you’re out there. That’s really it for me. I don’t really ask for too much.”
– excerpt from this Marc Spears piece.
He said a lot of this same stuff on the JJ Reddick podcast last summer. The only thing that’s gonna make anyone believe him is playing well.
No one cares about your instagram workouts and interviews. Play basketball and play well.
I’m taking this all with a grain of salt but I hope it’s true. A healthy Ben Simmons would really transform this team
Talk talk talk… none of this matters to me. If he doesn’t show it on the court then it will mean nothing.
I believe in goat Simmons 🐐 🐐 🐐 we got nothing to lose now
I like 99% of the Basketball community are in a “see to believe it” with Ben but I also have to be supportive because he’s rocking Black & White, With that said Im hopeful he’s in a better headspace with every passing season. Still don’t believe he’s gonna be “All-Star Ben” even as that version he hinders the team with his non-shooting.
In the interview, he mentions he spoke with Jaqucee Vaghun and he plans on playing the point, I wonder if that means Spencer then goes to the Bench? I’m guessing the starting lineup would have Dorian alongside The Twins and Clax.
I think his mental is completely fine. It’s all about that athleticism coming back. I think we’ll know after that first preseason game. If he’s running fast and jumping explosively again, we can get excited.
“I’m over here running around, setting picks and just giving handoffs because that’s really what I could do”
Love that awareness, because it really did feel that’s all he did. Those handoffs were killing me lol
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“While seeing will be believing for a long-skeptical NBA community, Brooklyn Nets forward Ben Simmons appears to have his All-Star swagger back mentally and believes his battered body will be rejuvenated for a comeback chapter next season now that he feels the best he has in two years.
“I’m excited because I know I can do it,” Simmons told ESPN Andscape on Aug. 25. “So, that’s the exciting part for me. [Last Thursday] night, I’m like, ‘Yo, let’s get back in the gym.’ I’m excited. I get to do something I love to do at a high level. Regardless of what people say, I’m a three-time All-Star, All-NBA player, [All-] Defensive Team. I’ve done things. I’m not somebody that hasn’t done anything.
After moving from his offseason home in Los Angeles to Miami Beach, Simmons has been working out five days a week for at least five hours per day to get his body ready for the 2023-24 NBA season. He told Andscape that he not only plans to be ready for the start of next season for the Nets but has a goal of returning to “dominate people” and returning to his All-Star form after so much chaos in recent years.
“For me to come back and dominate people will be great,” Simmons said. “I don’t intend to come back the same player I was last [season], because that’s not even close to where I am. I get excited because I’m like, ‘Damn, I would [expletive] on the player I was last year.’ But I know where I was at last year, so it’s easy to say that. But it’s just fun to go and do the thing that you love when you’re out there. That’s really it for me. I don’t really ask for too much.”
– excerpt from this Marc Spears piece.
He said a lot of this same stuff on the JJ Reddick podcast last summer. The only thing that’s gonna make anyone believe him is playing well.
No one cares about your instagram workouts and interviews. Play basketball and play well.
I’m taking this all with a grain of salt but I hope it’s true. A healthy Ben Simmons would really transform this team
Talk talk talk… none of this matters to me. If he doesn’t show it on the court then it will mean nothing.
I believe in goat Simmons 🐐 🐐 🐐 we got nothing to lose now
I like 99% of the Basketball community are in a “see to believe it” with Ben but I also have to be supportive because he’s rocking Black & White, With that said Im hopeful he’s in a better headspace with every passing season. Still don’t believe he’s gonna be “All-Star Ben” even as that version he hinders the team with his non-shooting.
In the interview, he mentions he spoke with Jaqucee Vaghun and he plans on playing the point, I wonder if that means Spencer then goes to the Bench? I’m guessing the starting lineup would have Dorian alongside The Twins and Clax.
I think his mental is completely fine. It’s all about that athleticism coming back. I think we’ll know after that first preseason game. If he’s running fast and jumping explosively again, we can get excited.
“I’m over here running around, setting picks and just giving handoffs because that’s really what I could do”
Love that awareness, because it really did feel that’s all he did. Those handoffs were killing me lol