Brooklyn’s training camp starts Tuesday and won’t wrap up until Opening Night on Oct. 23.
And every day from the beginning right to the end, Ben Simmons’ health won’t be a big story.
It’ll be the single biggest story.
Yes, that says something about how bad, or boring, the Nets could end up being.
But it also speaks to how injury-riddled Simmons’ past few years have been.
And though he’s been cleared for the official start of camp — and been among their best players in their pickup games the past month, sources told The Post — the question of whether he can stay on the floor is going to hang over the team.
“Being the competitive guy he is, you wish him well and you hope he can get out there on the court. From what we’ve seen so far with Ben, Ben will be a full go in camp, which for us, that’s exciting to see,” Nets GM Sean Marks said. “And for him, he’s champing at the bit to be able to get out there and contribute. So this is a big year for him, just like it is for the rest of us.”
It’ll be a rebuilding year for the Nets, who have already been together and playing pickup games for weeks to get a head start for new coach Jordi Fernandez.
But it’ll be a huge year for Simmons.
He’s missed 189 of 246 games over the prior three seasons, and all eight of Brooklyn’s playoff games due to a bad back.
After his nerve impingement returned, Simmons had a season-ending microscopic partial discectomy in March, his second such procedure in three years.
Now, with Simmons on a $40.3 million expiring deal and the Nets presumably tanking for the next two seasons, it behooves him to get out on the court and stay healthy.
An unrestricted free agent next summer, he needs to earn his next deal, even if it is a massive pay cut.
That starts in camp and preseason.
“He’ll be full go to start camp,” Fernandez said. “But we’ll treat him the same way as everybody else. We’ll go through practices, evaluate how everybody feels and then we’ll make decisions. … So, excited to see Ben on the court from Day 1.”
Simmons averaged 6.1 points, 7.9 rebounds and 5.7 in 23.9 minutes last season.
And he’s had an outsized impact on the Nets, as has his absence.
Brooklyn is a solid 31-26 when he’s played the past two seasons and a sorry 46-61 when he didn’t. Or, for perspective, a 45-win pace falling to 35-win pace.
“If you think about it, a healthy Ben Simmons … the No. 1 thing for him and the thing we care the most about is his health,” Fernandez said. “Ben is a very good player. And Ben being healthy, he can rebound, push, do all that stuff that can help us create really good shots. We want to play fast. He’s one of the best playmakers to be able to do that, from rebounding to pushing to throwing the ball ahead.
“His paint touches are unbelievable. He’s big, built like a truck, could get into the paint and spray [out to shooters], get to the rim.
“As far as shot quality, if you can play fast — touch the paint, move the ball, reverse the ball, body movement, ball movement, all that stuff — Ben really fits all that.”
Fernandez spent time with Simmons in Miami while the 28-year-old rehabbed, as did the Nets’ return-to-performance coordinator James Moore.
He’s looked good in pickup games, as has Noah Clowney and to an extent Zaire Williams.
When camp officially tips off Tuesday, Fernandez will start the challenge of figuring out how to space the floor with Simmons and non-shooting center Nic Claxton together.
But for the Nets, Fernandez says that’s secondary to keeping Simmons healthy.
That will be the story of this preseason, even before it’s the goal of the regular season.