A healthy and motivated Ben Simmons can make Brooklyn Nets contenders in the East

If there’s one path toward contending in the Eastern Conference this season, it involves Ben Simmons having a revival year.

For a moment at the start of last season, there was hope that Ben Simmons could emerge as a real difference-making contributor next to Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving for the Brooklyn Nets. With essentially no pressure on him to perform, the stage was set for Simmons to thrive next to two superstars.

While he had his moments early on in the season, Simmons only ended up playing in 42 games while averaging seven points, six rebounds, and six assists on 57 percent shooting from the field. There were spurts but he still didn’t look much like the Simmons of old. The drama that the Nets went through too, with KD and Kyrie, certainly didn’t help matters any either.

Heading into this season, though, there’s renewed hope that Simmons can begin to look more like his old self. In a recent interview with Marc Spears, Simmons says he’s excited for this season and vows he won’t be the same player as he was last year.

It sounds like Simmons is ready (and anticipating) a big bounce-back season. Quite frankly, the Nets may be the perfect spot for him too.

Ben Simmons is the one player that could completely change the ceiling for the Brooklyn Nets

Playing next to offensive talents such as Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson on the wing, Simmons could go back to being the natural point guard for the team – the role that he thrived in during his All-Star seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers.

It’s easy to forget that Simmons is still just 27 years old and if anyone can come back from a couple of bad seasons, it’s going to be an elite talent such as Simmons. He’s also the one player currently on the Nets roster that can completely alter their expectations this season.

For the most part, Brooklyn knows what they’re going to get from Bridges and Johnson. Both are talented offensive players who are probably going to pick up where they left off last season post-NBA Trade Deadline.

But for as talented as Bridges and Johnson are, the Nets struggled down the stretch and were swept by the Sixers in the first round of the playoffs. If Simmons can get back to form this season, or even be 80 percent of the player he was in Philadelphia, there’s a chance that he can raise this team’s ceiling.

And with as much uncertainty that revolves in the Eastern Conference after the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks, would it be that outlandish to say that the Nets could enter that second tier of contenders in the East?

If Simmons can bounce back this season, there’s no question he changes the math for the Nets. The question is, how realistic is that for Simmons?