OCEANSIDE — One team celebrated the return of its star, who has been missing from action for nearly a year. The other team played on as its superstar again sat on the bench in street clothes. Ben Simmons, the Brooklyn Nets’ oft-injured former All-Star, played his first game in eight months on Tuesday night in a preseason matchup against the Clippers at the new Frontwave Arena.
Simmons’ time off was evident as he scored just two points on 1-for-5 shooting in 13 first-half minutes in a 115-102 Clippers victory. “He’s worked really hard like everybody else, and he doesn’t want to be treated differently,” Nets first-year coach Jordie Fernandez said. “He’s built like a truck, he can guard multiple positions, he can rebound.
I want to see that purpose, communication, physicality.” Simmons has appeared in just 57 games for the Nets since being acquired two seasons ago. The swingman has averaged just 6.
7 points for the Nets, well below the 15.9 points he averaged in four seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers. Meanwhile, Kawhi Leonard, the Clippers’ own fragile star, missed his second preseason game as he works to strengthen the troublesome right knee that has sidelined him since last season’s playoffs.
Like Simmons, Leonard’s return to the court is a process that could take time. More time than initially thought. The team has been hoping that the two-time NBA Finals MVP would be healthy by the Oct.
23 regular-season opener, but Leonard has yet to participate i.