Murray, Leonard, Simmons are among the NBA’s happy returnees again

NEW YORK (AP) — Ben Simmons streaked behind defense and caught a pass in transition which he dunked. About a minute later, he fired a cross-court pass at a Brooklyn Nets teammate for a 3-pointer.

Those were the kinds of plays the Philadelphia 76ers had seen many times before.

Finally, on Monday, Simmons made them for another team.

Simmons played his former club in his first NBA game since June 2021, joining a slew of big names returning to basketball.

“I’m grateful to be able to step onto that floor, step onto an NBA floor again,” Simmons said. “So I had a lot of fun out there.”

Kawhi Leonard also returned for the Los Angeles Clippers, as did Jamal Murray for the Denver Nuggets after they both sat out last season to recover from surgery for torn cruciate ligaments.

“539 days later… AT THIS TIME!!” Murray wrote on Twitter.

That’s undoubtedly how their teams felt after expecting to be title contenders last season, only to have those hopes dashed by injuries last season. Paul George also missed a crucial time for the Clippers, and Michael Porter Jr. was out for all but nine games for the Nuggets.

They all played Monday, along with Damian Lillard, who returned to Portland after missing the last 47 games last season when the Clippers and Trail Blazers met in a preseason game.

“As a fan of the game, Kawhi’s return is great for basketball, Jamal Murray’s return is great for basketball,” said the Nets’ Kevin Durant. “All the guys who are out injured and able to play again, it’s a great feeling just to see them out there.”

Simmons hoped he was close to playing last February after being traded to the Nets in a deal spearheaded by James Harden. Simmons had cited psychological reasons for seeking a trade with the 76ers after a disappointing postseason when he took much of the criticism after the Eastern Conference No. 1 was ousted by Atlanta in the second round.

But a herniated disc prevented him from making a late-season debut and forced him to seek off-season surgery.

Now fully cleared, Simmons was in the starting lineup and finished the game with six points, five assists and four rebounds in 19 minutes. He walked out weak from Philadelphia, with the last memory of the No. 1 pick’s time there in 2016 when he missed a layup along the stretch of the Game 7 loss to the Hawks. But he looked confident pushing the ball off the post in transition or make-up play – but missed his only two free throws.

Simmons said he thought he was going to get nervous but didn’t. Durant recalled feeling scared when he returned after missing the 2019-20 season following Achilles tendon surgery.

“You wonder how your lungs are going to feel when you’re playing in an organized game because playing pickups and training is different than playing in a game,” Durant said. “So you just want to see where your legs are on the jump shot. So when you’re gone for a year, a lot of fear comes back. I know I did it.”

Leonard last played just days ahead of Simmons in the 2021 Western Conference Semifinals. Murray’s absence was even longer after tearing his cruciate ligament in April 2021 and he was unable to repeat the brilliant postseason he had when he led the Nuggets to the 2020 West Finals at Walt Disney World.

“These long-term injuries are tough and dark,” said Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault. “These guys don’t have long windows to play basketball, they can’t play until they’re 50. It’s tough and requires a lot of dedication and work. Progress, especially early on, is almost invisible a lot of the time with these types of injuries. I’m definitely happy for him and wish him all the best so that he stays healthy. He’s a really good player and their team will benefit from having him back.”