Ben Simmons and his private team will reportedly sit down with the Brooklyn Nets to draw up an offseason plan which will see the Australian guard in the best mental and physical condition for a successful return to the court.
“We will work together with the Nets on a summer plan,” a source close to Simmons told The Washington Post.
“Everyone is confident.”
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After being traded to the Nets in February, Simmons sat out the remainder of the 2021-2022 season with a herniated disc. He underwent a successful microdiscectomy procedure earlier this month, shortly after the Nets were swept by the Celtics in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
The 25-year-old will require at least three months of rehabilitation to fully recover, but is expected to be ready for the Nets’ training camp in September.
Nets general manager Sean Marks said following the procedure, Simmons’ has “a new lease on life”.
“From the communications I’ve had with him multiple times since the surgery, he’s feeling relief already and feeling great. He knows that it goes back to that five months, he has a big build-up to get ready and contribute,” he said.
“Regarding Ben post-surgery, I don’t want to speak for him, but I can sense there’s a relief. There’s a new lease on life, so to speak. When you are able to take a problem and say that should be fixed and move that out of here and now it’s on to the rest.”
Simmons also cited mental health issues in Philadelphia which the Nets are willing to provide assistance for.
While Simmons did previously see mental health professionals provided by the NBA’s players association, he refused to use the 76ers’ resources to help him through his psychological issues.
Marks said the “key” to getting Simmons back on court was getting him around his teammates and coaches at HSS Training Centre as much as possible during his rehabilitation.
“[The question] of how do we support him through the mental performance side of things, that’s a touchy subject,” he said.
“I don’t want to talk about someone’s mental health or mental performance. I’m going to let Ben address that at the correct time.
“I will say this: Whether it’s the NBA or whether, what everyone’s been going through, I look around and I’d love to [see] if there’s anyone out there who hasn’t had some type of mental fatigue over the last two years.
“This has not been easy for anybody. I’m not making an excuse with anyone in the pro sports area, but we all need support. And we’re coming through it. And same for Ben. We’re doing everything possible we can to get him around our group. That is the key.
“He needs to be in here, smell the gym again, around his friends, around his family and to participate in this and let us help him build a culture together. Build up together, build him back up.”
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