Brooklyn Nets flop Ben Simmons shows off his ripped physique in off-season workout as he bids return

Ben Simmons showed off his ripped physique during off-season training on social media as the NBA star looks ahead to a comeback season from injury since being traded to the Brooklyn Nets.

Simmons, 26, shared some photos of himself in the gym, focusing on both his shooting and dribbling skills on an indoor basketball court in Miami on Thursday.

“Just chatting in the water,” the Aussie captioned his Instagram post, while also sharing a photo of himself fishing with two of his pals.

Simmons, who was the Philadelphia 76ers’ first pick in the 2016 NBA draft, had a difficult first year transitioning to life in the Big Apple’s largest borough after a midseason trade in February 2022, with James Harden and Paul Millsap on the other. path.

Last year, he averaged 6.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 56% from the field, after returning from one back surgery in the summer of 2022.

Simmons, 26, is trying to get back to peak form ahead of the 2023-24 NBA season in October

Simmons was also seen dribbling two blue basketballs during off-season training on Thursday

Simmons was eventually forced to sit out most of the second half of the season after playing just 42 games, starting 33 of them and ending up on the winning team 24 times. In those contests, he had four double-doubles and one triple-double.

The Nets finished the regular season as the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference and were knocked out of the playoffs after a first round swept by the 76ers — ironically, Simmons’ former team.

Brooklyn had championship aspirations at the start of the 2022-23 season, before the team traded All-Star Kyrie Irving (to the Dallas Mavericks) and Kevin Durant (to the Phoenix Suns).

Simmons – three-time All-Star – will be seen as a key player to rebuild with forward Mikael Bridges. The LSU product is entering only his sixth season in the league but has missed nearly two years of playing time.

Simmons also had time for the gym, lifting weights belonging to the University of Miami

“Just drinking water,” the Aussie captioned his Instagram post on Thursday.

Simmons has struggled with multiple back injuries since moving to Brooklyn in 22

He currently has two years and $78 million remaining on his five-year, $177.2 million contract, which he signed in his senior year in Philadelphia (2020-21 season).

In April, Simmons’ new agent, Bernie Lee, told reporters that he expected Simmons to be physically ready for Nets training camp in early October.

Nets general manager Sean Marks said he expects the player to be fit again in early September.

‘The group around Ben noticed a complete change in Ben’s focus and mentality [through] this rehab and how he attacked her and got into everything,’ Lee told the New York Post.

“And there’s a lot of confidence in him to be able to get back to his All-Star form.”