Nets enter training camp not quite healthy including a bit of a surprise

After a long offseason that included several surgeries for key players, the Nets enter training camp at the HSS training facility on Tuesday, not entirely healthy. The health news announced at the Nets Media Day was generally encouraging.

Here’s a summary:

Ben Simmons

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No player at Nets Media Day seemed more ready to ride the hardwoods than Ben Simmons. Simmons, who didn’t play a single game with Brooklyn (or Philadelphia) after a deal with blockbuster James Harden was made on time last season, cleared all doubts Monday morning. rice field.

“Physically, I feel great. I’m ready to go,” Simmons said confidently.

When asked if he’s on track to start the new season in Brooklyn, Simmons, 26, said, “That’s the goal. That’s the plan. He’s allowed full basketball activity in training camp.” Simmons died on May 5 at Cedar Sinai Marina Del Rey Hospital in Los Angeles with a broken back. I had a successful microdisectomy surgery to address a herniated disc.

“I’m happy to have achieved it. It was much needed. I don’t think people really realize where I was. I was supposed to be playing Game 4 that day, but I woke up on the floor. I couldn’t move,” Simmons said as he recalled the night before Game 4 of the 2021 Eastern Conference First Round Series. celtics“I could barely walk.

Simmons will also be attending training camps and seasons with proper headspace. After dealing with mental health issues throughout last season, dating back to the 2020-21 season, he explained how he found himself on the court with a clear mind.

“Definitely,” Simmons said of whether he’s in the right headspace to compete. I’ve been working on myself and I deserve to take this opportunity to get back on the floor and I’m thrilled to be teaming up with these guys and these coaches and I’m looking forward to it. ing.

Joe Harris

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After an injury-plagued season (a season limited to 14 games), Joe Harris starts the new season perfectly healthy.

“Yeah, it’s totally cleared,” said Harris. “I was completely cleared about a month ago now.”

Harris battled serious injury troubles for the first time in his NBA career. After having his first ever successful arthroscopic surgery on his left ankle on November 29, Harris suffered a serious setback in rehab for his ankle later in his regular season. NBA playoffsAfter trying to avoid a second surgery, the 6-foot-6-inch Tsubasa had no choice but to undergo surgery and was subsequently ruled out of the playoffs indefinitely. Successful neck ligament reconstruction surgery.

“At first I was really trying to come back and play, but some of the options that were presented to me by my first injury were that I could have a bigger procedure later,” Harris said the second time. said he was talking about surgery on his left ankle. “I wanted to give myself a chance to come back and play instead of having a big procedure the year the season ended. At any point in the season I was trying to see if I could come back and contribute, even though it had been months since my first procedure, I was just trying to get myself back to where I could help a little bit, I couldn’t go back to that point.”

Seth Curry

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After battling ankle pain from the second half of the regular season until a first-round series-sweep loss to the Celtics, Seth Curry always considered having surgery to cure the pain. , had to rest after a few games. Shortly into the offseason, Guard underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left ankle on May 9.

Curry has spent the offseason rehabilitating his ankle and enters camp not quite cleared, but the light at the end of his tunnel isn’t too far off for a sniper.

“I’m not completely cleared yet. I’m almost there. I’ll do what I can in training camp. I’m on the road to where I want to be on the floor and be able to play well, and where I need to play.” 85, I would probably say 90 percent,” Curry said. “It’s going in the right direction.”

The guard has yet to clear a 5-for-5 run, but he has hit all other benchmarks in rehab.

“I’m training. I’m basically doing everything but 5-on-5,” Curry said of the rest of rehab. “I’m pretty close.”

Edmund Sumner

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Coming out of rehab for a ripped Achilles, Edmund Sumner didn’t have the easiest path back to Hardwood.

Sumner, who described the Nets as being the first team interested in signing him as a free agent, enters training camp healthy and completely cleared. , is thrilled with his latest opportunity in black and white.

“It was completely cleared probably three or four weeks ago. We’ve been playing 5-on-5 for three to four weeks,” Sumner said. “I feel nervous and excited. I am very excited about this opportunity to come and compete again.”

For Sumner, who was nearing the end of rehab for his Achilles tendon when he signed with Brooklyn, the reputation of Brooklyn’s medical staff played a role in signing him to a deal with the Nets. Security guards explained that they had been watching Kevin Durant’s Achilles tendon rehab from afar…and knowing that doctors had added an extra layer of comfort to his new opportunity.

“I have seen him [Kevin Durant] Come back. I’ve seen how good his transitions are. We knew the medical staff here. [I] Talked to my agent and knew the doctor. You will get great results. My agent and I saw how the Nets treated him and felt confident going to the same doctor or something like that. [Durant] rehab,” Sumner said. “We were confident. It definitely played a big part in that.”

Dr. Martin O’Malley was the lead surgeon for Durant and Sumner’s surgery.

TJ Warren

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Of all the Nets who gave health updates on Monday’s annual Media Day, TJ Warren’s health certainly came as a surprise.

Warren, who missed the entire 2021-22 season and played only four games the previous season with a stress fracture in his leg, is feeling healthy, though not fully recovered. The high-risk, high-reward free agent Wing explained he was taking it easy and slow due to a lingering foot injury.

“My leg feels great. It’s healed. I’m just taking it slow and taking it easy,” Warren said. “[I’m] Just to make sure everything else works and is healthy. long time no see. Now I am healed but not cleared. Take it easy now, take care. I just want to make sure everything else is ready to take the load. Not just my feet. Everything else, yes.

Warren won’t be in training camp, but he’s seeing the light at the end of the tunnel he’s been revealing for years. The new Nets applauded his confidence that his long-awaited return will come in a Nets uniform this year.

“It’s been a long process. I’ve been patient throughout the process. I’m definitely seeing the light at the end of the tunnel,” Warren added. A lot of people have asked me a lot of questions: When are you coming back? .”

Another surprise is that the Nets didn’t sign Donovan Williams. Donovan Williams is his UNLV winger at 6’6″ who made it through Summer League. Williams, who has touted his Nets connection, could get a gig with the Long Island Nets, but for now, he’s a free agent…and the Nets have an open roster spot.