Ben Simmons Has 'Really Strong Chance' to Play for Australia at 2023 FIBA World Cup

Despite missing the final 24 games of the 2022-23 NBA regular season and all four of his team's playoff games with a knee injury, Brooklyn Nets guard Ben Simmons reportedly may represent Australia in the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

According to EuroHoops.net, Australia national team head coach Brian Goorjian commented on Simmons possibly playing in the World Cup: "I think Ben's mindset is getting healthy, getting in shape and getting ready to play. And I think he has been along that line for a while and I felt it last time. As we sit now, there is a really strong chance he plays."

The 2023 FIBA World Cup will be played in Japan, the Philippines and Indonesia, and will run from Aug. 25 through Sept. 10.

The 26-year-old Simmons is coming off a trying season after getting traded from the Philadelphia 76ers to the Nets during the 2021-22 campaign as part of the James Harden deal.

Simmons did not make his debut with the Nets until this season because of a back injury, and additional ailments limited him to just 42 games in 2022-23.

While Simmons did some good things when he played defensively and as a playmaker, the 2022-23 campaign was by far the worst of his career.

Simmons averaged a career-low 6.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He also shot a career-worst 43.9 percent from the free-throw line.

The 2016 No. 1 overall draft pick had some offensive shortcomings in four seasons with the Sixers, but he was a three-time All-Star nonetheless and had a second-place finish in the NBA Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2021.

In 275 regular-season games with the 76ers, Simmons averaged 15.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, 7.7 assists and 1.7 steals.

Although Simmons is under contract through the 2024-25 season, his future in Brooklyn is somewhat tenuous, as the Nets seem intent on building around the likes of Mikal Bridges, Spencer Dinwiddie and Cameron Johnson.

Regardless of whether Simmons plays in the 2023 FIBA World Cup, The Boomers have a solid opportunity to make a deep run and potentially even win the World Cup for the first time.

The roster is set to feature several NBA players, including Josh Giddey of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Patty Mills of the Nets, Joe Ingles of the Milwaukee Bucks and Matisse Thybulle of the Portland Trail Blazers, among others.

Australia finished fourth at the last FIBA World Cup in 2019, marking its best-ever finish in the tournament. It also won a bronze medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics, giving it plenty of momentum entering the World Cup.