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For over a year, Ben Simmons was many things – a meme, a scapegoat, a trade asset, and holdout artist. One thing that wasn't on the list was a man who actually played NBA basketball, missing the floor for 470 days up until he finally made his Brooklyn Nets preseason debut on Monday night.
The three-time All-Star wasn't exactly received with open arms when he took the court, hearing some boo birds chirping throughout his time on the court. But Ben Simmons wasn't focused on the crowd noise – he's just happy to be back.
Via Brian Lewis of the New York Post:
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“Amazing. I’m grateful just to be able to step on a NBA floor again. I had a lot of fun out there,” Simmons said after his first game in 470 days. “I thought I’d be nervous, but I wasn’t nervous: I was excited. To have that feeling to be able to come out and know you’re going to play on a NBA floor especially at Barclays with some great players, it’s excitement.”
Ben Simmons didn't have a monster game by any means, ending up with six points, four rebounds, and five assists in under 20 minutes of game action. But at this point Nets fans are mostly just content that he's back on the floor and actually dunking when he has the chance:
Ben Simmons scores his first points as a member of the Brooklyn Nets with a transition dunk 💥pic.twitter.com/lQNyoLf7PG
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 3, 2022
Ben Simmons may still be extremely limited on the offensive end, but it's not as much of an issue with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving playing off of him. The best version of the big Aussie may come to form in Brooklyn.
