Playing for the first time in 38 games, Brooklyn Nets forward Ben Simmons had an impressive return to the court Monday night against the Utah Jazz, finishing with 10 points, 8 rebounds, 11 assists, a steal and no turnovers in 18 minutes in a 147-114 Nets victory at Barclays Center.
Simmons, who had been out since Nov. 6 with a nerve impingement in his lower back, had an assist to Royce O’Neale on a 3-pointer six seconds after checking into the game midway through the first quarter.
He finished plus-27 on the night and provided the Nets with size and pace to help them win for just the fifth time in their past 17 games. It’s the first time Brooklyn has won two games in a row since late December.
“We got the win, so yes,” Simmons said when asked if it was a successful return. “That’s the main objective for me, and that’s really all I care about.”
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft, Simmons hadn’t gone through a full practice with the Nets before his return Monday, though he had been in a couple of practices with Brooklyn’s G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets, in recent days.
Simmons, who had averaged 6.5 points, 10.8 rebounds and 6.7 assists for Brooklyn through six games across the opening two weeks of the season before being sidelined with the back issue, looked like the same player he was before the injury.
The nerve issue is just the latest in a series of injury issues Simmons has dealt with over the past three years. He missed the 2021-22 season due to a holdout while requesting a trade away from the Philadelphia 76ers and a back issue. He played just 42 games last season before being shut down early with a different nerve issue.
“People don’t see the work that goes in behind the scenes,” Simmons said. “So it took a lot of effort and, and patience and time to get back to where I’m at now. Every single day, every morning, every day, I’m working to get back on the floor. That’s not online. You don’t see that. So for me and everyone that has seen that and seen my discipline over the last two months, it’s great to see it pay off.”
