Ben Simmons’ NBA comeback season has been derailed after the Australian star reportedly tore his Achilles tendon in training, just days away from what loomed as his first game for the Sacramento Kings.
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what → derail → Kings
According to reports on Monday (AEDT), Simmons suffered the injury in practice with the Kings, who were due to open the new NBA season on Thursday against the Los Angeles Clippers, the last team he played for.
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he → accord → Clippers
The injury is expected to rule the 30-year-old out for the entire season, ending what former teammate and NBA All-Star Dwight Howard had forecast as the “greatest comeback story in NBA history” – just as ESPN was preparing to air a documentary on his return to basketball.
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ESPN → expect → basketball
Simmons sat out all of last season as he spent the year recovering physically and even turning his hand to competitive fishing, but showed signs of promise in his pre-season outings for the Kings, and shaped as a starter for them.
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he → sit → them
He had also expressed hope that a successful stint in the NBA would pave the way for him to play for the Australian Boomers at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
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him → express → Angeles
But those dreams will have to be put on hold, with his 538-day absence from the NBA set to continue a while longer.
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absence → have → NBA
Here’s a closer look at nine of the other players who will suit up in the league.
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who → ’ → league
Giddey’s Bulls have brought in teenage rookie Caleb Wilson, who looks a future star.
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who → bring → Wilson
His high-flying ways should mesh perfectly with Giddey’s lob-passing.
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ways → fly → passing
But the Bulls are still a work in progress and play in a vastly improved Eastern Conference which should hinder their play-off hopes.
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which → play → hopes
Still, Giddey remains a nightly triple-double threat, and his outside shooting looks to have improved yet again.
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shooting → remain → ?
He should fit well under new coach Tiago Splitter, a former Brazilian international who played with Gregg Popovich’s San Antonio Spurs during the Tim Duncan era.
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who → fit → era
I’ve always been high on Giddey’s talents and I still think he has the capacity to have some All-Star seasons entering his prime NBA years.
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he → think → years
If he is making his shots, sticking his passes and Wilson immediately produces at a high level, things could get very exciting in the Windy City.
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things → make → City
If Giddey can’t make his shots and faces oppressive defences, then it could be a tough year in which his minutes and role diminish.
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minutes → make → which
If Wilson and other emerging Bulls develop slowly or regress, it will also have an impact on Giddey, who, as point guard, is meant to orchestrate his team’s attacks.
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who → emerge → attacks
Daniels is one of the NBA’s elite defenders, and that should continue to be the case.
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that → continue → defenders
His Hawks have made some shrewd moves this off-season and are capable of winning games in the much-improved East.
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Hawks → make → East
Lu Dort, CJ McCollum and Aaron Wiggins should help the Hawks.
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Dort → help → Hawks
Where Daniels’ season will likely be judged is by how well he shoots from three-point range and how much offence he can offer his side.
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he → judge → side
If Daniels is shining at both ends and the Hawks are soaring up the standings, he could well be a defensive player of the year contender and a potential All-Star.
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he → shin → year
If Daniels can also bring his play-making and post game to the fore, then the sky is the limit for him and the Hawks.
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sky → bring → him
Worst case: If Daniels can’t make his threes and struggles to create on offence, it could hurt his minutes and how much the team plays him in the clutch.
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team → make → clutch
Daniels has a lot of drive, so he would hate having to watch from the bench.
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he → have → bench
The Hawks and Landale proved a great fit when he was traded there last season.
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he → prove → fit
He should have a meaty role in their big-man rotation with his outside shooting and tough play inside.
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He → have → shooting
If he can crack a starting centre spot and produce regular, reliable points and rebounds then it would be a dream campaign after years of being shipped around the league.
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it → crack → league
Worst case: The Hawks bench Landale and rarely use him before trading him away or letting him go at season’s end.
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him → bench → end
Landale is only on a one-year deal, so he would be back on the free-agent market heading into a World Cup.
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he → head → Cup
The Sydney-raised playmaker made a strong start to his NBA career last season, and his Cavs should be pressing for a deep play-off run this time around.
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Cavs → raise → run
He showed he could fill the back-up point guard role last season but faces stiff competition for minutes behind starters James Harden and Donovan Mitchell.
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he → show → Harden
Best case: Proctor becomes a super reliable threat off the bench who scores and creates as the Cavs storm to the NBA title.
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Cavs → become → title
This could happen, but Proctor will know he needs to take every chance he gets to impress.
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he → happen → chance
Worst case: Proctor spends the season stuck on the bench and making occasional visits to the G-League for court time.
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Proctor → spend → time
This could happen as well, considering the Cavs are in win-now mode.
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Cavs → happen → mode
But Proctor has shown he can rise to the occasion.
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he → show → occasion
Furphy won plenty of fans with his high-flying dunks last season, but he sadly crashed to earth late in the season when he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in February.
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he → win → February
Furphy is making good progress in his recovery and the Pacers hope he can return in mid-season.
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he → make → season
Best case: Furphy comes back bigger and stronger and plays a role for the Pacers as they make a deep play-off run, with his three-pointers, defensive plays and dunks all standing out.
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pointers → come → run
Worst case: Furphy’s recovery takes longer than planned and he misses the full season.
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he → take → season
…and 20 more, not listed.
The Aporia
