‘Frustrating’: Ben breaks silence on injury; breakout star’s big reward — Aussies in the NBA

Ben Simmons has spoken about his injury for the first time and he is not the only Australian currently sidelined.

On the other hand, one Australian who is healthy made the most of injuries on his team and is now set for an expanded role.

Read on for the latest on all the Australians in the NBA!

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BEN SIMMONS (Brooklyn Nets)

A frank Simmons admitted this has “probably been one of the most frustrating” points of his career, with the Australian still unsure when he will return to the court.

The 26-year-old said he has “no expectations” on whether he will be cleared to resume practice after he is re-evaluated in just over a week.

The three-time All-Star has been sidelined since early November with a nerve impingement in his lower back and last week spoke to reporters for the first time since suffering the injury.

“It’s probably been one of the most frustrating points of my career, just because I want to be out there and help my team win and compete,” Simmons said.
“At the end of the day it’s one of those things that is just part of sports. Not every game is promised. Injuries happen. For me it’s just focusing on what I can do now and doing what I can to get back on the floor and contribute.”

Simmons was finding ways to contribute in his last game before the injury, finishing with two points, 15 rebounds and four assists.

Simmons averaged 6.5 points, 10.8 rebounds and 6.7 assists across six starts this season and was starting to look more confident, particularly in games when teammate Nic Claxton was injured given Brooklyn’s offence often stagnated with the two non-shooters on the floor.

The Australian told reporters he felt “for sure” like he was getting back towards the Ben Simmons of old before the injury, which makes his latest setback all the more frustrating.

“I think I was pushing myself to the max numbers-wise, the numbers I was hitting on the court,” Simmons added when asked what he learned about himself in his six starts before the injury.

“I’m not a small guy. I’m not 6-foot-1, 180 pounds… I’m 240, 6’10’’ — I play with a lot of speed and force, so it’s just one of those things I need to be cautious of.”

While Nets fans will be hoping to see Simmons back on the court soon he stressed the need to be patient and not rush anything given the unpredictable nature of his injury.

“Honestly, I wish it was a sprained ankle, it’s one of those things with time where you just don’t know,” Simmons said.

“But we’ve seen a lot of progress, which has been a good thing and very positive.

“You just never know. One day it might be better than the other… it just depends on the day and how much you’re pushing yourself. But we’ve been doing a great job in terms of [monitoring my workload] so it’s been good. So I’m very confident, very positive.”

Simmons has taken small steps in his recovery, increasing his individual workload while receiving an epidural injection which he said “made a difference, for sure”.

“I’m starting to see strength come back and things like that,” added Simmons.

JOSH GIDDEY (Oklahoma City Thunder)

It has been an inconsistent start to Giddey’s third season in the NBA, with the Australian at times struggling to find his footing in a Thunder team that suddenly has plenty of playmakers and is no longer in need of the 21-year-old to play a dominant role on the ball.

Giddey had started to some flashes of his best basketball recently but has since suffered a setback, going down with an ankle injury in Oklahoma City’s win over the Clippers.

In fact, Giddey looked on track for one of his best games of the season after scoring 11 quick points to go with three rebounds and four assists against the Clippers.

The Thunder are yet to provide a specific timetable on when Giddey could return to the court, with the young guard missing the team’s most recent game against the Lakers with the injury.

If anything, Giddey’s time away from the team could help Oklahoma City work out what its starting line-up without him could look like with the possibility of more minutes running the second team moving forward.

JOSH GREEN (Dallas Mavericks)

It has been a rough run on the injury front for Australians, with Josh Green also joining Simmons and Giddey on the sideline with a right elbow sprain.

Green will miss Tuesday’s match-up with Phoenix, marking the 12th game in a row he has missed due to the injury.

His absence, along with that of Kyrie Irving, gave Australian teammate Dante Exum more minutes to shine and the versatile Boomers guard has taken full advantage of that opportunity.

DANTE EXUM (Dallas Mavericks)

Hard work doesn’t go unnoticed.

In the case of Exum, the Australian’s impressive run has seen him rewarded with a starting role for the Mavericks even when Kyrie Irving is healthy again.

Dallas coach Jason Kidd confirmed as much after Exum’s third 20-point game of the season, with the latest coming in a win over the Spurs.

“You know, it’s ironic,” Kidd said.

“He ended the game [on the floor] and when we got him, that’s kind of the role [he fit as] third point guard. But what he’s done is put himself as a starter, and we’ll probably keep him as a starter.

“If we’re healthy tomorrow, he’s going to start with Kai and Luka.”

It makes sense too given Exum can either shoot the ball or pass it off, making him a valuable addition to a Mavericks offence that obviously already has opposition defences guessing already with Luka Doncic and Irving on the floor.

With Exum, Doncic, Irving, rookie Dereck Lively II and either Derrick Jones Jr. or Grant Williams, Dallas now has a perfect mix of shooting, playmaking and defence.

For coach Kidd though, it is having an extra ballhandler in Exum that makes him particularly valuable to the way the Mavericks want to run their offence.

“I think we figured out that having three playmakers out there makes the game easier for Kai and Luka,” he said.

“And it puts a lot of pressure on the defence. To have Exum out there, it helps.”

Exum has now averaged 16.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists in nine games starting for the Mavericks this season, having previously not even hit 10 minutes in his first eight appearances to begin the 2023-24 campaign.

The selfless Exum said he doesn’t care if he is starting or coming off the bench though.

“I think for me, it’s always going to the game with the same mindset,” he said.

“Obviously, it’s nice to start and be rewarded with that, but I want to go in and win every game and play as hard as I can. As long as I’m on the court, I’m able to do that.”

DYSON DANIELS (New Orleans Pelicans)

You know what you are going to get from the young Australian guard right now and that is disruptive defence and inconsistent offence.

For the Pelicans, it is a matter of working out how many minutes to give him off the bench based on what sort of other scoring threats they have on the floor.

Daniels made the most of his opportunity starting for the injury-ravaged Pelicans earlier in the season but has since moved back to the second unit, seeing between 10 and 20 minutes most nights.

The 3-point shooting hasn’t been there on a consistent basis but more important than the outside shooting is staying aggressive when it comes to attacking the rim.

Outside of that, the defence and playmaking still remains Daniels’ greatest strength to a Pelicans team with championship aspirations.

JOCK LANDALE (Houston Rockets)

It has been a tough season so far for Landale, who missed the FIBA World Cup with an ankle injury that then disrupted his preparation for a fresh start with the Rockets in the NBA.

That disrupted pre-season may be behind the Australian big man’s slow start with Houston, having initially been signed as the team’s back-up behind Alperen Sengun.

Instead, Houston has leaned on 37-year-old forward Jeff Green as the solution to that problem, although it doesn’t seem like that is the team’s first-choice plan for the rest of the season.

NBA insider Jake Fischer reported on Yahoo Sports that the Rockets may upgrade their frontcourt depth before the trade deadline given Landale’s ineffective start to the season.

“Houston could look to make an upgrade in their frontcourt behind Alperen Şengün, sources said, after free-agent signee Jock Landale hasn’t become a fixture in head coach Ime Udoka’s rotation,” he wrote.

That could either see Landale further buried on Houston’s depth chart or he may end up being moved before the trade deadline anyway given only the first year of his contract with the Rockets is guaranteed.

JOE INGLES (Orlando Magic)

Ingles has been a valuable free agency addition for the young Magic but has missed Orlando’s last four games with a left ankle sprain.

The Boomers veteran was initially deemed questionable to return to Orlando’s game against Cleveland a fortnight ago after limping to the locker room with an ankle issue, although he later returned to the game at the start of the fourth quarter.

Ingles shot a perfect 6-for-6 from the field and had 12 points, four rebounds and three assists off the bench in the 104-94 win, although the ankle issue is clearly still causing him problems.

The Magic don’t play until Wednesday against Washington, giving Ingles four days to recover after missing Sunday’s win over the Pacers.

MATISSE THYBULLE (Portland Trail Blazers)

Nothing much has changed in Portland for Thybulle, whose perimeter defence, high basketball IQ and improved outside shooting make him a valuable asset for the rebuilding Trail Blazers.

You only have to look at Thybulle’s play in the dying moments of Portland’s recent 118-117 loss to the Wizards, where active hands from the Australian forced a turnover from Jordan Poole and a jump ball that gave Portland a chance to win the game late.

DUOP REATH (Portland Trail Blazers)

Like Thybulle, Reath may not always be doing the flashy things or producing highlight plays but he is quickly emerging as a handy role play in Portland.

Whether it is setting screens, draining the occasional 3-pointer or making hustle plays on both ends, Reath is making a case to see more minutes for the Trail Blazers.

The Boomers big man is currently averaging a productive 8.7 points and 3.8 rebounds from 14.9 points in December.

PATTY MILLS (Atlanta Hawks)

Still not much consistent playing time for Mills, who is at the disadvantage of playing for a team that has plenty of young, guard depth.

Mills though, being the veteran and team player that he is, is always ready to step up when his name is called and has seen some more minutes recently.

The 35-year-old played 12 and 13 minutes in losses to Miami and Cleveland last week, making a 3-pointer in both games while also posting three assists and just as many rebounds.