Mikal Bridges Voices 'Big Faith' in Ben Simmons' Comeback From Back Injury

Brooklyn Nets forward Mikal Bridges says he expects teammate Ben Simmons to bounce back from the back problems that have limited the former All-Star's availability. Bridges made the remarks on the Podcast P show, hosted by Los Angeles Clippers All-Star Paul George, and said he has "big confidence, big faith" in Simmons.

Simmons has spent the summer rehabbing after missing most of his games in Brooklyn. In May 2022 the guard underwent a microdiscectomy for a herniated L-4 disk, a procedure that typically carries a recovery timeline of more than a full calendar year. Since arriving in the February 2022 trade that sent James Harden to Philadelphia, Simmons has missed 67 of a possible 109 regular-season games.

Bridges said he thinks having the injury confirmed was a relief for Simmons, who had been a frequent target of angry fans on social media after sitting out an entire season with the 76ers. By Bridges' account, Simmons may have earned a "boy who cried wolf" reputation in Philadelphia, so people doubted the injury even after the surgery. "He was actually hurt and now he's got surgery, and he's getting back, but he loves the game," Bridges said.

Bridges believes a healthy Simmons can return to form as a three-time All-Star known as one of the league's top defenders and playmakers. He noted that a back injury is highly restrictive and said Simmons could not do the things he normally does. He also pointed to the way Simmons' time in Philadelphia ended, saying the fallout from the Atlanta game, when critics faulted Simmons for not laying the ball up with Trae Young nearby, shaped the narrative that followed. "Sky's the limit," Bridges said.

Bridges has a connection to Philadelphia of his own. The 76ers drafted him 10th overall in 2018 before trading him to the Suns the same night. In the brief time he thought he was headed to his hometown, he imagined Simmons' passing creating easy chances for him. "You know how many cuts and catch-and-shoots and transition points imma get with Ben?" Bridges said.

The two played only two games together after Brooklyn's trade of Kevin Durant before Simmons' season ended early. In one of them, a Feb. 15 win over the Miami Heat by 11 points, Simmons threw a full-court pass at the end of the third quarter that Bridges caught at the free throw line and turned into a mid-range jumper. Simmons finished that night with two points, four rebounds and four assists in 20 minutes and 28 seconds. His role had been shrinking, as head coach Jacque Vaughn gradually reduced his place in the rotation. In his last five games of the season, Simmons averaged 3.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists before being shut down after the All-Star break. Before that, he averaged seven points, six assists, six rebounds and 1.3 steals per game with the Nets.

Bridges stressed that the team's support does not depend on statistics. He described Simmons as active in the team group chat and said the players are close. "We want him to be aggressive," Bridges said, but added that the message is that teammates remain in his corner even if he struggles. "He can be confident enough to fail and know we're there for him," Bridges said.

The stakes are significant for Brooklyn. Simmons has two years left on his contract and is owed $77 million, making him the highest-paid player on the roster. The Nets went 24-18 in games Simmons played last season. They were 2-3 in games Durant missed after the Kyrie Irving trade to the Dallas Mavericks, and 2-5 in games Durant missed with injury before his trade to Phoenix.

Simmons has career averages of 14.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, 7.5 assists and 1.6 steals per game. In three seasons in Philadelphia he averaged 16 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, won the 2018 NBA Rookie of the Year award, and ranked in the top 20 in assists, steals, field goal percentage, rebounds and defensive win shares in multiple seasons.