Preseason basketball typically isn't headline-worthy. NBA starters go through the motions while coaches get a look at younger players on the roster bubble. But for the Brooklyn Nets, this year's preseason opener presented a test for Ben Simmons, their highest-paid player, and one who could determine the ceiling of their new-look roster in 2023-24.

Simmons passed the test in impressive fashion. In his first game action since February, the three-time All-Star looked the healthiest he's been since joining Brooklyn, posting 10 points and three assists on 4-of-6 shooting in 14 minutes.

“It’s the best in two years for sure. Definitely,” Simmons said of his performance. “It felt amazing. That’s really it, just amazing. I'm happy to be out there, and compete, and feel good out there and able to contribute like I know how I can. So I felt great.”

Simmons appeared in 42 games last season before being shut down at the All-Star break due to a nerve impingement in his surgically repaired back. The former number-one pick lacked the downhill aggressiveness and explosiveness that made him a force during his time with the Philadelphia 76ers. It took less than two minutes for him to display both of those traits Monday.

On his second touch of the game, Simmons drove at LeBron James and finished a routine layup. He later showed off his improved leaping ability, throwing down the most explosive dunk of his Nets tenure on a breakaway in the second quarter. He capped off the night by curling hard off a dribble hand off and driving into a help defender for an and-one.

“He attacked the rim, I think he played with pace and looked pretty natural out there getting up and down the floor, communicating with guys into the flow of the game. Really good to see,” head coach Jacque Vaughn said. “So, some really good minutes.’

During offseason interviews, Jacque Vaughn and Ben Simmons both opened up about their rocky relationship last season. The coach said he realized late in the year that he was expecting the Australian native to do things he was physically incapable of due to injury. At the same time, Simmons noted the lack of communication regarding his ailing back was frustrating.

However, after Simmons spent the better part of the summer rehabbing in Miami, Vaughn called the second-year Net “the most explosive” he's seen him at the start of training camp. Monday's preseason opener was another welcome sight for the head coach.

“Very encouraging,” Vaughn said of Simmons' showing. “The pace that he plays with, unscripted and having a flair in the flow to his game, those (are) things we want him to get back to doing where it's instinctive basketball. I think you saw some of that, and it's definitely a positive direction for him.”

Simmons underwent a surgery called a microdiscectomy on a herniated disc last summer. A significant jump in production this season wouldn't be a surprise based on historical evidence of NBA players who underwent the same procedure. A study by the National Library of Medicine found that players who had the surgery saw a significant decrease in player efficiency rating the following year but typically returned to their normal level of play in the second postoperative season.

Simmons said at several points this offseason that he was “ready to dominate” this year, alluding to the numerous accolades of his Philadelphia days. While it's far too early to compare this version of Simmons to his old self, the 27-year-old's performance Monday was a breath of fresh air for a Nets organization searching for a new identity this season.

“I've known how I've felt for a while now, and I've worked really hard to put myself in this position,” Ben Simmons said postgame. “I know I'm more than ready to be here and be able to compete and help this team win.”

“I'm just blessed to be able to come out here and play at a high level. It’s exciting. I get to play in the NBA. It’s a great job.”