"The dude is cooked" - Reports of Ben Simmons rediscovering his All-Star form at rehab leaves internet skeptical 

The internet remains skeptical of reports of Ben Simmons rediscovering his All-Star form in rehab. Simmons has not a played a game since Feb. 15 against the Miami Heat due to a back injury. He was diagnosed with nerve impingement on his back a month later and was shut down for the rest of the season.

According to Brian Lewis of the New York Post, Simmons has made progress in his rehab, which is why he's not with the Brooklyn Nets in the first two games of their matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers. A source at the Nets told Lewis that Simmons avoided a second back surgery.

"There will be an assessment around the start of May, and if he (feels) exponentially worse or no improvement, that (surgery) could end up an option," the source said. "But every sign has indicated that that won't be the case. He's made really good improvement.

"The evaluation is a normal evaluation, though, nothing extreme, just kind of monitoring his progress, and surgery is not in the realm of expectations for him."

Despite the positive news of Ben Simmons' rehab, fans on social media have doubts about his return to an elite level. Simmons' downfall from an All-Star to an ineffective player is one of the most fascinating stories in the NBA.

One fan has no faith at all in the return of Simmons, who has been getting worse since he became afraid to shoot layups in the 2021 Eastern Conference finals. The fan tweeted:

"I've heard this at least 3 times in his career. The dude is cooked."

Here are other comments on Simmons' potential return to his All-Star form:

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Ben Simmons' back injury is similar to Michael Porter Jr.'s

Ben Simmons (left) and Michael Porter Jr.

Ben Simmons underwent microdiscectomy surgery for a herniated L-4 disk last offseason. Simmons went through the usual rehab, but some experts believe that he won't be able to return to his old level of play until after 18 months.

If that timeline is correct, Simmons should be back to his best at the start of next season. His back injury is similar to the Denver Nuggets' Michael Porter Jr., who had the same procedure in college and the summer before the 2018 NBA draft.

Porter sympathized with Simmons in an interview with Brian Lewis of the New York Post earlier this month.

"People are so hard on Ben Simmons," Porter said. "But I know what he's going through as far as he's able to play right now, but he's not back to Ben Simmons, and it'll take a while for him to have all the explosiveness. I watched a little highlight video from a couple years ago; he's just flying down the lane.

"He'll get that back, but it just takes time. Anything with the back, it just inhibits a little bit of explosiveness."