Ben Simmons, ever since that fateful Game 7 tilt against the Atlanta Hawks in the 2021 playoffs, has been a shell of his former self. Due to mental health issues and back problems, Simmons has been unable to regain his All-Star form, struggling immensely for the Brooklyn Nets after his trade from the Philadelphia 76ers in early 2022. But ahead of the 2023-24 season, it seems as though Simmons is on the cusp of at least regaining a semblance of his best self.

Of course, doing that will hinge on Simmons' ability to stay healthy, and whether he's confident in his own body's ability to hold up amid the grueling grind of the regular season that he can freely play the way he wants to. And it's looking increasingly likely that the Nets point forward will have a relatively injury-free season ahead, if his comments during preseason are any indication.

“I feel amazing. 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 said in an interview with Christopher Riley of Esquire Australia.

That will definitely be music to Nets fans' ears, and to fans of Ben Simmons as well, especially after a tumultuous past two seasons. Simmons, at his best, is such a joy to watch; despite standing at 6'10, he has the speed and ballhandling fluidity of a point guard, not to mention his dazzling speed in transition as well as his impeccable court vision and audacious pass selection.

And during preseason, Simmons has even been busting out a turnaround jumper, and he's playing with more freedom, dropping behind-the-back passes and trying out insanely difficult dishes without fear of failure. (He had eight turnovers in one preseason game, which isn't good, but is encouraging nonetheless for his risk-taking).

Only 27 years old, Ben Simmons definitely has time on his hands to prove both to himself and the Nets that his All-Star self still exists somewhere.