Ben Simmons shrugged off any knee pain as he made a return for the Brooklyn Nets on Monday against the Dallas Mavericks.
Simmons was absent for the Nets in four-straight games dealing with soreness in his left knee.
“It was good to get out there and that was the main thing for me,” Simmons said, via Kristian Winfield of New York Daily News. “Just to have no pain, get up and down the floor, sprint, run, jump — so that felt good.”
But the common thing about his comeback is that the rust remains marked on his performance, as Simmons played passive in 16 minutes and only etched two points, three rebounds, two assists and two turnovers in the Nets loss.
“I’m my own harshest critic, so I think [I played] terrible,” Simmons said. “Like there’s a place I want to get to so I gotta keep working. I’ve gotta keep pushing myself and adapting.
“I’ll get there.”
Simmons sat down for the whole 2021-22 season dealing with back issues and mental health concerns. For him, the only thing he can do is to continue pushing himself.
For seven games so far, he is only averaging 5.6 points, 6.6 assists and 6.0 boards in 29.6 minutes of play.
“[I have to] keep pushing myself,” Simmons said. “It would be easy for me to just give up and stop and settle, but that’s just not who I am.
“When you have back surgery, and then you’re dealing with your knee, it’s tough,” he continued. “But it’s the cards I was dealt, so I’ve gotta push through it.”
