After going through last season like a lost soul, weighed down by knee and back injuries, Ben Simmons prepares in Miami five days a week to get back to his best.
The former Philadelphia All-Star goes a long way since his physical problems date back, according to him, to February 2020, and for two years he suffered in great proportions, unable to make simple gestures on the floors but also outside.
“It was everyday. Waking up, getting up, getting out of bed, it was hard because I was in pain”he explains to Andscape. “If I sat too long, I had pain. I was stiff, I had a nerve problem that meant that I couldn’t feel my leg anymore. Sometimes I think about my recent worries and think to myself that that’s a lot. It was exhausting to deal with it all. It was also a good test for me, because how could it be worse? »
It’s even better lately since Ben Simmons claims to have put his physical glitches behind him. This multiplies his ambition. “I feel 100% now. I can’t wait because I know I can do it. That’s what’s exciting, I can do what I like at a high level. »
“My goal for next year is to be on the Olympic team”
But will he be able to find his sensations, those which allowed him to be an important player with the Sixers, a confirmed All-Star? And be ready for the start of the season?
” Of course. If I faced the player I was last season, I would kill him. That’s how I see things. To come back and dominate would be great. I don’t intend to be the player I was last season again, I’m far from it. I still have a month before the training camp, I’m lucky to still have time. I use every day as a chance to be better. I have no other option: I must kill. »
To the point of (finally) wearing the jersey of the Australian team in 2024 in Paris? Because possibly expected this summer for the World Cup, Simmons has finally skipped the competition, but he keeps the Olympics in the back of his mind.
” Yes of course. The Olympics, yes 100%. That’s what I want to do next year. I want to play. I had messages from Australians telling me that I had to play. I will when I’m ready. Until now, I was not physically. But my goal for next year is to be on the Olympic team. »
| Ben Simmons | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 2017-18 | PHL | 81 | 34 | 54.5 | 0.0 | 56.0 | 1.8 | 6.4 | 8.1 | 8.2 | 2.6 | 1.7 | 3.4 | 0.9 | 15.8 |
| 2018-19 | PHL | 79 | 34 | 56.3 | 0.0 | 60.0 | 2.2 | 6.7 | 8.8 | 7.7 | 2.7 | 1.4 | 3.5 | 0.8 | 16.9 |
| 2019-20 | PHL | 57 | 35 | 58.0 | 28.6 | 62.1 | 2.0 | 5.8 | 7.8 | 8.0 | 3.3 | 2.1 | 3.5 | 0.6 | 16.4 |
| 2020-21 | PHL | 58 | 32 | 55.7 | 30.0 | 61.3 | 1.6 | 5.6 | 7.2 | 6.9 | 3.0 | 1.6 | 3.0 | 0.6 | 14.3 |
| 2022-23 | BRK | 42 | 26 | 56.6 | 0.0 | 43.9 | 1.0 | 5.3 | 6.3 | 6.1 | 3.3 | 1.3 | 2.3 | 0.6 | 6.9 |
| Total | 317 | 33 | 56.0 | 13.9 | 59.1 | 1.8 | 6.1 | 7.8 | 7.5 | 2.9 | 1.6 | 3.2 | 0.7 | 14.7 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots made / Shots attempted; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def= defensive rebound; Tot = Total bounces; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost bullets; Ct: Counters; Points = Points.
