SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Brooklyn Nets were embarrassed on national television on Tuesday night, falling 153-121 to the Sacramento Kings in a game so one-sided it had to be seen to be believed.

But after all these weeks of questions surrounding Ben Simmons and his latest round of health woes, there was this silver lining: He not only played, but played reasonably well. In 20 minutes of action off the bench, the much-maligned 2016 No. 1 pick scored 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting – the most points he has scored since June 14, 2021 – while adding five rebounds and three assists.

周二晚上，布鲁克林篮网队在萨克拉门托表现得很尴尬，他们以153-121 输给了国王队，所以一边倒的情况必须亲眼所见才能相信。

但在围绕着本西蒙斯的这几周的问题和他最近一轮的健康问题之后，有一线希望：他不仅打球，而且打得还不错。在替补出场的 20 分钟内，这位饱受诟病的 2016 年状元秀以 7 投 5 中得到 11 分——这是他自 2021 年 6 月 14 日以来的最高得分——同时还有 5 个篮板和 3 次助攻。

With Simmons’ lack of availability already a major issue for the Nets — not to mention his lackluster play when he had stepped foot on the court — the timing of his return couldn’t have been any better. Yet with the Nets desperately trying to save their season amid the recent departure of coach Steve Nash and the unresolved Kyrie Irving controversy, the skepticism about Simmons’ ultimate impact remains.

According to multiple sources with direct knowledge of the situation, the frustration surrounding Simmons had been building in recent weeks within the organization. The coaching staff and players have been concerned about his availability and level of play, with some questioning his passion for the game, those sources said. But even when he did play, Simmons’ struggles in his first nine games this season were part of the Nets frustration as well.

由于西蒙斯无法上场已经是篮网的一个主要问题——更不用说他踏上球场时表现平平——他回归的时机再好不过了。然而，在教练史蒂夫纳什最近离职以及凯里欧文争议悬而未决的情况下，篮网正拼命试图挽救他们的赛季，对西蒙斯最终影响的怀疑仍然存在。

据了解情况的多位消息人士透露，最近几周，围绕西蒙斯的挫败感在组织内部不断积聚。这些消息人士称，教练组和球员一直担心他的上场时间和比赛水平，一些人质疑他对比赛的热情。但即使他确实上场了，西蒙斯在本赛季前九场比赛中的挣扎也是篮网挫败感的一部分。

Simmons made his return from May back surgery to play in the early going of this season, but recently missed eight days to have his left knee drained because of fluid. After beginning the season as the starting point guard tasked with playmaking and pushing the pace, Simmons has been moved to the backup center spot in his last four appearances. It marks the first time he has come off the bench over his seven seasons. He was a late scratch in Sunday’s loss to the Lakers, with the team citing left knee soreness as the reason for his absence.

In a discussion with The Athletic on Tuesday, Simmons acknowledged the criticism that he knows is coming his way and shared his view on the matter.

“You’re obviously not gonna be happy when anybody’s out,” Simmons told The Athletic. “But for me, I’ve been dealing with the knee since the start of the season. It’s been swollen. I had PRP (injections). I had blood drained a couple times. So it’s not a made up thing, you know? It’s a real thing.

西蒙斯从 5 月的背部手术中复出，在本赛季初开始上场比赛，但最近因左膝积液缺席了 8 天。在本赛季开始作为首发控球后卫负责组织进攻和推动比赛节奏后，西蒙斯在最近四次出场中被转移到替补中锋位置。这是他七个赛季以来第一次替补出场。他在周日输给湖人队的比赛中缺席，球队称他缺席的原因是左膝酸痛。

在周二与The Athletic的一次讨论中，西蒙斯承认他知道他会受到批评，并分享了他对此事的看法。

“当有人出局时，你显然不会开心，”西蒙斯告诉The Athletic。“但对我来说，自赛季开始以来我就一直在处理膝盖问题。已经肿了 我有 PRP（注射）。我有几次被抽血。所以这不是编造的东西，你知道吗？这是真的。

“I get (the skepticism), but I think the one thing with me is that I’m a competitor. I want to win and play. So I’m gonna do what I can to get out there.”

This early season stretch has been merely the latest setback in what has been a brutal two years for the 26-year-old. From the back problems that left the former Philadelphia 76ers star vomiting from pain and sidelined in the 2019-20 regular season to his ill-fated finish in the second round playoff series loss against Atlanta to him sitting out last season while citing his mental health before the Sixers traded him to Brooklyn, Simmons’ road has been rocky for quite some time now. He then went on to miss the playoffs due to a back issue stemming from a herniated disc. And this familiar theme — his co-workers questioning his professional desire — is one that he knows he can’t control.

“我得到（怀疑），但我认为我的一件事是我是一个竞争对手。我想赢球。所以我会尽我所能走出去。”

对于这位 26 岁的球员来说，这个赛季初只是延长了最近两年的挫折。从让这位前费城 76 人队球星因疼痛呕吐并在 2019-20 赛季常规赛缺阵的背部问题，到他在季后赛第二轮输给亚特兰大的系列赛中的不幸结局，再到上赛季他因精神健康问题而缺席比赛76人队将他交易到布鲁克林，西蒙斯的道路已经崎岖不平了一段时间。然后，由于椎间盘突出引起的背部问题，他继续错过了季后赛。而这个熟悉的主题——他的队友质疑他的职业态度——是他知道自己无法控制的因素。

“There’s only so much I can really do (about perception),” Simmons said. “You can’t make people believe, you know? They weren’t there when I was on the floor and couldn’t walk (because of his back). They weren’t there when I was in the ambulance getting taken to the hospital (after a Feb. 22, 2020 game at Milwaukee). People weren’t there, so they don’t know. That was the first episode I had against Milwaukee. That was the original trigger of it…right before COVID, the start of my back issues.

“But that’s a part of my journey. There’s times when I couldn’t walk. I had a dead foot. Couldn’t sleep. A lot of stuff was going on with me, physically, to where it was tough. But there’s only so much I can say for somebody to believe, you know?”

“（关于感知）我真的能做的只有这么多，”西蒙斯说。“你不能让人们相信，你知道吗？当我在地板上无法行走（因为他的背）时，他们不在那里。当我在救护车上被送往医院时（ 2020 年 2 月 22 日在密尔沃基的比赛之后），他们不在场。人不在那里，所以他们不知道。那是我第一场对阵密尔沃基的比赛。那是它的最初触发因素……就在 COVID 之前，我的背部问题开始了。

“但那是我旅程的一部分。有时我无法走路，无法入睡。我身体上发生了很多事情，以至于很难。但我只能说这么多才能让人相信，你知道吗？”

When it comes to this latest physical challenge, Simmons said his ailing left knee has required near-constant care while the back has been vastly improved.

“I’m on full overload with treatment, everything I need to do to stay out there,” Simmons continued. “I’m just spending more time on the table, honestly, more downtime (where) I’m literally just leg up, icing, doing whatever I need to do – sleeping.

当谈到最近的身体挑战时，西蒙斯说他生病的左膝需要持续的护理，而背部则得到了极大的改善。

“我正承受着超负荷的治疗，我需要做到一切才能留在场上，”西蒙斯继续说道。“我只是花更多的时间在桌子上，老实说，更多的休息时间（在那里）我真的只是站起来，做我需要做的任何事情 然后睡觉。

“Yeah (the knee is a bigger problem than the back), which is good. And that’s one thing with the league. You’ll be starting to have some (trouble) with one thing and then you’re thinking about your ankle or your leg or whatever it is. That’s gonna happen, but getting it under control is the most important part for me.”

The Nets, meanwhile, desperately need Simmons to regain his All-Star form. Especially considering the chaos that has enveloped their team outside of his situation.

“是的（膝盖比背部问题更大），这很好。这与联盟是一回事。你会开始对一件事有一些（麻烦），然后你会想到你的脚踝或你的腿或其他任何东西。那会发生，但对我来说最重要的是控制住它。”

与此同时，网队迫切需要西蒙斯恢复他的全明星状态。特别是考虑到在他的情况之外笼罩着他们的团队的混乱。

From the departure of head coach Nash on Nov. 1 to the indefinite suspension of Irving, they’ve dealt with their share of tumult this season. But in the midst of this pivotal stretch, with the Nets winning six of 10 games under new head coach Jacque Vaughn, they’re searching for consistency and winning rotations. Superstar Kevin Durant is playing at his usual high level, but Irving remains unavailable, and players such as Yuta Watanabe, Seth Curry and Joe Harris have gone in and out of the lineup at times due to nagging ailments.

The level of exasperation toward Simmons bubbled to the surface on Oct. 29 when the Nets held a players-only meeting following a loss to the Pacers at Barclays Center. Sources with direct knowledge of the meeting, but who were granted anonymity so that they could speak freely say that in that meeting, Markieff Morris — a veteran leader on these Nets — spoke up in front of all of his teammates about how they need Simmons to succeed and that he has to respond when he deals with adversity on the court. Those sources all described a meeting where Simmons appeared to take Morris’ words in stride and was responsive and attentive throughout.

从 11 月 1 日主教练纳什的离职到欧文的无限期停赛，他们在本赛季处理了他们的部分动荡。但在这个关键时期，网队在新任主教练雅克沃恩的带领下赢得了 10 场比赛中的 6 场，他们正在寻求稳定性和获胜轮换。超级巨星凯文杜兰特正以他一贯的高水平打球，但欧文仍然无法上场，渡边雄太、赛斯库里和乔哈里斯等球员因小病不时进进出出。

10 月 29 日，当网队在巴克莱中心输给步行者队后举行了一次球员会议时，对西蒙斯的愤怒程度浮出水面。直接了解这次会议但不愿透露姓名以便自由发言的消息人士称，在那次会议上，马基夫莫里斯——这些网队的老将——当着他所有队友的面谈到他们如何需要西蒙斯成功，当他在球场上应对逆境时，他必须做出回应。这些消息来源都描述了一次会议，西蒙斯似乎从容应对莫里斯的话，并且自始至终反应迅速且专注。

“We had a conversation that obviously I’m not going to talk about. It was honest,” Simmons told reporters after that meeting occurred.

Simmons went on to miss the next two Nets games due to the knee issue and returned in a bench role in the Nets‘ loss to the Mavericks in Dallas on Nov. 7.

Sources tell The Athletic that team officials and teammates have been in regular contact with Simmons about how to make him comfortable.

“我们进行了一次谈话，显然我不会谈论。这是诚实的，”西蒙斯在那次会面后告诉记者。

由于膝盖问题，西蒙斯继续缺席了接下来的两场网队比赛，并在 11 月 7 日网队在达拉斯输给小牛队的比赛中替补出场。

消息人士告诉The Athletic，球队管理层和队友一直与西蒙斯保持定期联系，商讨如何让他感到舒服。

The three-time All-Star is averaging career lows across the board in his return to action following not playing at all last season. Simmons is averaging 5.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.9 assists in 27.3 minutes per night over nine games so far. He has come off the bench in his last three games as Vaughn has gone with the much-improved Nic Claxton as the starting center and Simmons as Claxton’s backup. Claxton is having a breakout season, averaging 11.9 points and 9.1 rebounds.

Still, Simmons has shown flashes of brilliance on the floor this season and the all-around attributes that have made him a two-way star throughout his career.

这位三届全明星球员在上赛季完全没有上场后重返赛场，场均得分均创下职业生涯新低。到目前为止，西蒙斯在九场比赛中场均上场 27.3 分钟，得到 5.2 分、6.2 个篮板和 5.9 次助攻。在过去的三场比赛中，他都是替补出场，因为沃恩选择了进步很大的尼克克拉克斯顿作为首发中锋，西蒙斯作为克拉克斯顿的替补。克拉克斯顿本赛季表现出色，场均得到 11.9 分和 9.1 个篮板。

尽管如此，西蒙斯本赛季还是在场上展现了闪光的光芒，以及让他在整个职业生涯中成为双向明星的全能属性。

“It’s the consistency piece of it,” Vaughn said before Tuesday’s game when asked about his expectations for Simmons. “Trying to stabilize this group has been the challenge overall, not only the things off the court but us having people in some games, out of some games – not (playing) back to backs. So we try to not use any excuses. This is who we are. I’m gonna coach this group. Whoever’s available that day, that’s who we’re going to play.

“So he can be considered the five. He can be considered (a player who is) grabbing the rebound and pushing it, and he’s the one-slash-five. And so we’ve tried to surround him with smalls where he can dribble-handoff and push the pace, and have shooters around him. It was all based off the space piece, and we needed to maximize our space with Kevin being out there on the floor. And I think as we continue to grow together as a group, that’s going to evolve. And Ben is going to evolve, and you’ll see more and better of him.”

“这是其中的一贯性，”沃恩在周二的比赛前被问及他对西蒙斯的期望时说。“试图稳定这支球队一直是挑战，不仅是场外的事情，还有我们在一些比赛中，在一些比赛中都有人——而不是背靠背（打）。所以我们尽量不使用任何借口。这就是我们。我要指导这个小组。那天有空的人就是我们要扮演的人。

“所以他可以被认为是五个。他可以被认为是（一个正在）抢篮板并推动它的球员，而且他是可以从一打到五的球员。所以我们试图用小个子包围他，让他可以运球传球并加快速度，并在他周围安排射手。这一切都基于空间，我们需要在凯文在场的情况下最大化我们的空间。而且我认为，随着我们作为一个团队继续共同成长，这将会发生变化。本会不断进步，你会看到更多更好的他。”

The Nets have $72 million of their payroll out of the lineup with Irving and Simmons, creating a tall task for sustainable winning for this roster of scrappy, hard-nosed players, including the emergence of Royce O’Neale and Edmond Sumner. Even with Simmons’ step forward, the loss against the Kings reminded them of that much.

欧文和西蒙斯就占了 7200 万美元的薪水，这为这群斗志旺盛、顽固的球员（包括罗伊斯·奥尼尔和埃德蒙·萨姆纳的出现）增加了胜利的难度。即使西蒙斯挺身而出，输给国王队也让他们想到很多。