Ben Simmons has high expectations for a healthy version of himself ahead of the Brooklyn Nets' 2023-24 campaign. After missing the second half of 2022-23 due to a lingering back injury, the three-time All-Star said he feels Brooklyn can “shock a lot of people” before outlining some lofty individual goals.

“I want to be back where I was. I want to be an All-Star. I want to be better than an All-Star,” Simmons told Esquire Australia. “That’s where I want to be. I never try to live with myself. I’m never like, Well, hopefully, maybe I get a couple of votes in an All-Star game. Nah, if that’s the case, I might as well be fishing.”

While he has yet to display the physical dominance of his Philadelphia days, Simmons' fluidity and assertiveness this preseason are a stark contrast to what he showed during 42 games in 2022-23. Through three appearances, the former number-one pick is averaging 8.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, 7.0 assists, and 1.7 steals in 21.8 minutes per game.

Simmons has shown flashes of the two-way versatility that made him a force in Philadelphia. The Aussie turned in a vintage sequence Thursday against the 76ers, cutting backdoor and finding Spencer Dinwiddie with a behind-the-back pass before jumping a passing lane on the other end for a breakaway dunk.

Simmons said his improved health is the product of a meticulous rehab process that started when he was forced out at last year's All-Star break. His offseason consisted of 5-6 hour training days, Monday through Friday. He credited the team around him for keeping him focused through the highs and lows of the six-month process.

“I finally found progress in the work I was doing, which allowed me to stay focused and on track,” Ben Simmons said. “I’m like, Let’s see how fast I can go, how high I can jump, how strong I can get.”

“I feel amazing now. Now versus how I was playing last season, it’s night and day. Being able to go through a whole session; play, get hit, get up, sprint, dunk, do all these things and then be able to walk perfectly normal and feel like nothing happened is the best thing I’ve been able to experience in the last four or five months. Because all I want to do is hoop and do my job.”

Simmons' newfound confidence will be put to the test early this season. He faces the tall task of reinventing a Nets offense that ranked 23rd in the league after trading Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving at last year's deadline.

But after nearly two years of watching from the sidelines, he's carrying a chip on his shoulder as he attempts to lead Brooklyn and rectify his NBA career.

“Definitely,” Simmons replied when asked if fans can expect a career year from him. “That’s what I’m excited about because, s**t, you can only take so much slander ’til you gotta just turn up on motherf***ers! And that’s the truth of it.”