"He has passed every benchmark": Marc Spears says Ben Simmons is close to returning to full fitness

Last season, Ben Simmons faced challenges on the basketball court due to a lingering back injury that affected his performance while playing for the Philadelphia 76ers and later with the Brooklyn Nets.

However, there is positive news for Simmons fans as prominent NBA journalist Marc Spears reports that he is close to being back in game shape and healthier than ever. According to a source close to Simmons, he has passed every benchmark and is looking to make a significant impact in the upcoming season.

"I talked to somebody close to [Ben Simmons]," Spears reported. "They would say, 'I would say he's in the final stage of prep for the season and he has passed every benchmark and is as healthy as he has ever been since his last year in Philly.'"

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Will Ben Simmons rise from the ashes?

Brooklyn Nets v Phoenix Suns

There seems to be a lot of hype surrounding Ben Simmons once again now that it seems like we might get to see the Simmons of old. Recently, Simmons has developed a negative image due to various incidents. He faced criticism for being MIA during his tenure with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Later, when his trade request was fulfilled, fans didn't hold back in mocking him for being unable to play right away in the season he joined the Brooklyn Nets.

There are indications that a transformation is in store for Simmons in the upcoming season, according to his new teammate Mikal Bridges. Bridges revealed his belief that Ben will significantly elevate his performance compared to the previous season during an appearance on Paul George's podcast.

Having that in mind, it appears that nothing but good things can be said about Ben Simmons at the moment. The next question now is, will he be able to live up to the hype? While Simmons can use his injury as an excuse for underperforming in the 42 games he played last season, what other excuse will he have if he ends up remaining the same kind of player despite recovering from injury?

In the meantime, all fans can do is wait and see the results of Simmons' recovery process. Training videos aren't necessarily a reliable source of measuring his improvement. The NBA pre-season is the soonest we can see the significant changes to his game.