He’s out! This Sunday afternoon, Ben Simmons was reported to come off the bench against Orlando Magic. The Aussie, averaging 5.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, and nearly 7 assists, was expected to be replaced by Nic Claxton. While everything went as planned at Barclays Center, Simmons’ train of unfortunate luck continued. Despite a fresh start, the Nets star was ruled out for the remainder of the game!

It all happened after he played for nearly 12 minutes and had 0 points, two rebounds, and five assists. You might be thinking, what happened? A knee contusion.

Ben Simmons, at 28, is really at a crossroads in his NBA career. Any setback now, especially injuries, couldn’t come at a worse time. Just when he showed glimpses of his old self in a recent game against the Phoenix Suns, he’s hit with another obstacle.

Even though he’s averaging a career-low 5.9 points per game this season, he managed to put up 14 points in the Nets’ 127-117 win, going 7-of-8 from the field, grabbing nine rebounds, and dishing out eight assists. That win helped Brooklyn improve to a 9-10 record.

With a few good games this season, Simmons’ standout game against the Suns was a rare bright spot, a throwback to his peak in the 2018-19 season when he averaged 16.9 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 7.7 assists. But now, with another injury headache, all his efforts seem to be in absolute jeopardy, especially as he heads into free agency this offseason.

Ben Simmons struggles to make a name for himself after injury-thunderstorm

Ben Simmons is in the last year of a massive five-year, $177.2 million contract and has been under immense pressure to prove his worth in the NBA. It’s been a tough few years for the Aussie, battling mental and fitness issues in a dramatic fall from grace.

The saddening part, however, is fans have long given up on the idea of Ben Simmons becoming the dynamic two-way player who made 3 straight All-Star teams. But he’s struggled to stay healthy, and his performances have naturally declined. “Health is the most important thing for us,” the team’s head coach once said, highlighting how Simmons has become more of a burden for Brooklyn.

For someone of Simmons’ ‘potential’ caliber, his stats are quite worrying too. Something unusual that caught the fans’ attention this season was the hoopster still seemed hesitant around the basket because of his back, which is concerning for someone with his size and responsibility. It’ll be interesting to see what the market looks like for him. Right now, it doesn’t seem like there will be many teams eager to pick him up.

But I’d say don’t lose hope yet. Yes, Ben Simmons is struggling, despite the assurances by Chris Brickley, but with a miracle-like story of Lonzo Ball returning to the top-flight of the game after missing 1000+ games, do we really want to rule out the Aussie’s return so soon? At the end of the day, sheer raw talent never fades, the only issue for the hoopster is- who’s going to trust him with a new deal?