After an incredible start to his career, Ben Simmons’ injury issues have been the biggest factor in hampering his NBA success. After making multiple All-Star games early in his career and even an All-NBA Third Team, Simmons has more or less fallen all the way down the NBA totem pole. Simmons recently was bought out of his contract with the Brooklyn Nets and now finds himself on his third team, the Los Angeles Clippers. Simmons has shown in his first three Clippers’ games that he still can contribute to winning basketball. On top of that, a new Ben Simmons injury update, reported by Law Murray, says he may be able to play in back-to-backs this season. This shows that his health may be on the rise.
Ben Simmons Injury Update Implies His Health Could Be Improving
Ben Simmons’ Injury History
Since joining the Nets in 2022, Simmons has seen a huge drop in production and games played. Simmons has struggled with various injuries. This includes lower back soreness, left knee soreness, and nerve impingement, which have kept him off the court all too often. Over his first two seasons with the Nets, Simmons played in 42 and 15 games. This year he played 33 before getting bought out.
This history of missing games due to these injuries has led teams to need to put him on different plans to manage his health. For instance, during the beginning of the 2024-25 season, Simmons often rested during the second night of back-to-back games to prevent putting too much stress on his fragile body. He has still done this with the Clippers, but it sounds like that could change soon.
The Ben Simmons-Clippers Experiment
The Clippers took a chance by signing Simmons. Since 2021 he simply has not been the same player on the floor. First, there were issues with his shot and lack of offensive aggressiveness, and then came a myriad of injuries. For his short time with the Clippers, however, it has been so far, so good.
Simmons is averaging over 23 minutes a game in three games for the Clippers. He has seen his scoring and efficiency numbers higher than they’ve been since leaving Philly. Simmons is averaging 8.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.7 assists on shooting 66.7% from the floor, and an impressive two steals a game. This has caused some optimism. The recent Simmons injury update about his potential ability to play in back-to-backs has caused even more.
Simmons’ Career Moving Forward
The Clippers aren’t exactly known for rehabilitating injury-marred stars. They’ve tried with Kawhi Leonard and seen minimal success. Paul George also faced some injury troubles while on the team. That being said, if the Clippers and Simmons can find a way to get his body right, it could be a huge break.
Sure, Simmons likely will never be able to live up to the expectations. His first few seasons in the league created too much hype. However, if he can play in 60 or so games a season at 80% of what he used to be, that is a really solid player. The Clippers are hoping that he can be that for them this season. If he is, he will be a sought-after free agent this summer.
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