Since arriving in Brooklyn in early 2022, Ben Simmons spent more time in the infirmary than on the court. Before the start of the season, the former All-Star had only played 57 matches out of a possible 190 with two stints on the billiards table for his back.
The second operation, carried out in March 2024, was a partial microdiscectomy which aimed to treat this pinched nerve in the lumbar region, which was causing pain in one of his two legs. While it was supposed to be a release, this second operation in two years above all made the player doubt…
“There were times last summer when I said to myself that I didn't know if I could do it. That maybe I should stop playing”, he remembershaving thus thought about retirement, at only 28 years old. “I had to talk about it and think about it because, not only is it hard physically, but mentally, it's also complicated to come back from such an injury, to do two rehabilitations two summers in a row. »
Ben Simmons, deeply hampered by herniated discs and neuralgia, took things “day to day” and it was thus, in addition to seeing the positive effects of this second surgical intervention, that he managed to find the motivation to continue. For now, it's holding up since this season, he has played 30 of the Nets' 46 games.
“I couldn't stop, I just wasn't going to do it. I wanted to fight. I'm a competitor, who likes to play basketball, who likes to win,” he continues. “It was my moment to win. I had lost so much over two and a half years that I told myself I needed this. »
| Ben Simmons | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2017-18 | PHL | 81 | 34 | 54.5 | 0.0 | 56.0 | 1.8 | 6.3 | 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 | 6.6 | 8.8 | 7.7 | 2.6 | 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 | 2.9 | 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 |
| 2023-24 | BRK | 15 | 24 | 58.1 | 0.0 | 40.0 | 2.1 | 5.9 | 7.9 | 5.7 | 2.4 | 0.8 | 1.8 | 0.6 | 6.1 |
| 2024-25 | BRK | 30 | 25 | 55.5 | 0.0 | 69.6 | 0.9 | 4.4 | 5.3 | 7.1 | 2.5 | 0.8 | 2.8 | 0.5 | 6.3 |
| Total | 362 | 32 | 56.0 | 13.9 | 59.1 | 1.7 | 5.9 | 7.6 | 7.4 | 2.8 | 1.5 | 3.1 | 0.7 | 13.7 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
