Nets' Ben Simmons Talks Fan 'Slander,' Vows to 'Be Better Than I Was' After Injury

Ben Simmons doesn't care about your "slander," and the Brooklyn Nets star is ready to put together a career year after recovering from a back injury to be fully healthy for the first time in years.

Simmons told Brian Lewis of the New York Post:

"I was pushing through that, so I'm not really worried about the slander. Obviously, it gets frustrating when you've got to listen to it all the time, when you're not able to play your best and you're playing injured. That's part of it."

"At the same time, I'm one of those guys who wants to come out and perform and show I can do what I love to do at a high level. So I'm enjoying just being out here, putting on the show and trying to get better with these guys."

Simmons has struggled with a back injury in each of the last two years. After missing the entire 2021-22 campaign, it heavily impacted how he performed last season.

The 27-year-old, who was selected first overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in 2016, averaged just 6.9 points, 6.3 rebounds and 6.1 assists while shooting 56.6 percent from the floor.

Simmons admitted in an interview with Andscape's Marc J. Spears in August that he shouldn't have rushed back from his injury during the 2022-23 campaign, but he also confirmed that he feels he's back to "100 percent."

"I'm going to be better than I was," Simmons told Lewis. "My job is just to show up, perform, work my ass off and lead this team the right way. So it's doing all the little things, and everything else takes care of itself."

If Simmons is truly back to being fully healthy, he's going to have some pretty high expectations in 2023-24.