‘We need him out there’: Ben Simmons’ next big challenge in Aussie’s pre-season NBA statement

It will take a lot more than a pair of preseason games to prove that Ben Simmons is back to his old form.

That won’t come until he performs in the same way during the regular season.

And even then, with his injury history, it’s hard to know just how much the Nets can count on the 27-year-old.

But Simmons, the first overall pick in the 2016 draft thanks to his unique combination of size and athleticism, has certainly given the Nets reason to hope that he just might be able to perform like an All-Star again this season.

After a promising outing in the team’s first preseason game against the Lakers, Simmons followed up with a similar showing Thursday night at Barclays Center, albeit while facing a professional team from Israel, with a few fringe NBA players filling out the roster.

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Still, there was no denying Simmons’ quickness, as well as his deft touch on passes — and even some solid form on mid-range jumpers.

For a Nets team that has Simmons under contract for another two years and $77 million, there’s cause for optimism — including from Simmons himself.

“I’m still fast, I still jump high [and] I’m still strong,” Simmons said after the game, regarding the parts of his game that he has regained after dealing with knee and back issues last season.

“I’ve had to adapt to the game, but I think my [basketball] IQ and the way I play the game, I’m able to affect the game in multiple ways, [even] without the athleticism that, at the end of the day, I got back,” Simmons said.

“I looked OK [on the court]. I’m getting better.”

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Whether he can get back to being a threat who can score 16 points per game, grab eight rebounds and add assists each game — as well as some steals — will be a matter of how healthy Simmons can stay.

Simmons and head coach Jacque Vaughn said their communication has been strong about how much work he is able to withstand.

For now, Simmons is enjoying the fact that he is playing like he’s capable of again.

“It’s amazing,” Simmons said. “It feels really good. I’m not really one to talk too much to the media when it’s not needed, so it’s fun to just come out here, play my game and let everyone else do the talking.”

Like Mikal Bridges, for instance, who noted another way Simmons impacts the game when he’s on the floor.

“Just the force [he brings],” Bridges said.

“It makes our team just way much better and to have him out there, happy that he’s healthy. … We need him out there. It’s just how our team was built and how good a player he is, we need that and it’s going to elevate us more.”

And Royce O’Neale, who said: “Just to see him back out there, being himself, being healthy, that’s a huge blessing. The way he leads our team, being the point guard, initially finding guys open, being aggressive, it’s a learning process for him and him building back his confidence.”

That confidence was apparent on Thursday and will be tested again Monday, when the Nets play their next preseason game, this time against Simmons’ old team, the 76ers, in Brooklyn.

Simmons was a three-time All-Star in Philadelphia before he was swapped for James Harden in February 2022.

Plenty of questions continue to surround both mercurial stars, with Harden’s looking for a trade from the Sixers, and the spotlight will be on each of them Monday.

This article was first published on The New York Postand was reproduced with permission.