Nets' Ben Simmons Says He's Betting on Himself in IG Story Photo amid Injury Rehab

On the heels of several injury-riddled seasons in a row, Brooklyn Nets guard Ben Simmons is seemingly optimistic about his chances of a bounce back.

Simmons posted a photo of himself on his Instagram stories Tuesday night, and included in the photo was the quote, "It hits different when you bet on yourself and it pays off."

The 27-year-old Aussie was limited to just 15 games this season due to a nerve impingement in his back that required a microscopic partial discectomy to correct it.

Injury issues have been the story of Simmons' career from the start, as he missed his entire rookie season with a foot injury after the Philadelphia 76ers selected him No. 1 overall in the 2016 NBA draft.

However, over the next four seasons, Simmons won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award, was a three-time All-Star, was selected to the NBA All-Defensive First Team twice and had a second-place finish in the NBA Defensive Player of the Year voting.

As good as Simmons was from a defensive and playmaking perspective, he became something of a scapegoat for the Sixers' playoff shortcomings since his offensive ability was often lacking in big games.

After averaging 11.9 points per game and shooting just 34.2 percent from the free-throw line during the 2021 playoffs, Simmons held out the next season and was eventually traded to the Nets as part of the James Harden deal.

Simmons did not appear in a game with the Nets in 2021-22 due to a back injury, though, and he played in only 42 games in 2022-23 and 15 games this season because of injuries primarily related to his back.

From an offensive perspective, Simmons has long been something of a one-dimensional player since he can't shoot from distance, as evidenced by his career three-point shooting percentage of just 13.9 percent.

Simmons did enough other things well to have success in Philly earlier in his career, but it hasn't translated to Brooklyn.

In 2022-23, Simmons averaged 6.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.3 steals per game. In 15 games this season, he averaged a career-low 6.1 points, 5.7 assists and 0.8 steals to go along with 7.9 rebounds.

The 2024-25 season could be a make-or-break year for Simmons' NBA career since it is the final year of his current contract.

Simmons will almost certainly have to sign a far smaller deal than the five-year, $177.2 million extension he once signed with the 76ers, but if he can largely stay healthy and play to his strengths next season, he could at least make himself a valuable commodity in free agency.