NBA News Roundup: Ben Simmons to start rehab phase of recovery from back surgery, Jayson Tatum comments on his struggles and more | June 11th, 2022
The Golden State Warriors defeated the Boston Celtics in Game 4 to even the NBA Finals at two games apiece. Steph Curry exploded for 43 points, while Jayson Tatum struggled with his shot and taking care of the ball. Tatum finished with 23 points on 23 shots and six turnovers.
Meanwhile, Ben Simmons is progressing in his recovery from back surgery. Simmons underwent back surgery last May 5 at the Cedars-Sinai Marina Del Rey Hospital in Los Angeles. The Australian star missed the entire season with the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets.
Here is the latest NBA news roundup for June 11th brought to you by Sportskeeda.
Steph Curry carries Warriors in Game 4 win, ties NBA Finals with Celtics
Steph Curry had one of the all-time greatest performances in NBA Finals history in the Warriors' Game 4 win over the Celtics. Curry finished the game with 43 points, 10 rebounds and four assists in their 107-97 win in Boston. This is the second time Steph has scored 40 or more points in the Finals during his career.
The two-time MVP is doing everything he can to carry the Warriors to another championship. Curry is now averaging 34.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists in the first four games of the Finals. He's also making 6.3 3-pointers on 49% shooting.
The series is now tied at 2-2 heading into Game 5 in San Francisco. The Warriors have regained homecourt advantage, with Game 5 scheduled on Monday. Golden State are 10-1 at home this postseason. Their lone loss came against the Celtics in Game of the Finals.
Ben Simmons injury update
Brooklyn Nets star Ben Simmons underwent back surgery, a microdiscectomy, last May 5th. The surgery was performed by Dr. Robert Watkins IV at Cedars-Sinai Marina Del Rey Hospital in Los Angeles. Dr. Watkins gave Simmons a three-month recovery timeline.
A month after his surgery, Simmons has now entered the rehab phase of his recovery. According to Brian Lewis of the New York Post, the Australian star is on schedule to make a full recovery and be ready for training camp. The NBA training camp usually starts mid-to-late September.
Ben Simmons is done with the recovery phase from his May 5 back surgery, and is well into the rehab phase. Projections at the time had him back on the court in three months, and he hasn't had any hiccups or setbacks to change that. #Nets #NBA
Simmons has been very busy this past week. He was spotted watching the Port Washington men’s lacrosse team play in the Long Island Championship last Saturday. He was also present during a WNBA game between the New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx at Barclays Center on Tuesday.
NBA analyst compares Zion Williamson to Kevin Durant
Zion Williamson is eligible to sign his rookie max extension with the New Orleans Pelicans this offseason. The Pelicans can offer Williamson a five-year, $181 million deal. However, Brian Windhorst of ESPN reported two weeks ago that the Pelicans are willing to give him a max extension, but not fully guaranteed.
= @GetUpESPNInsight from @WindhorstESPN on the upcoming contract extension between Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans.
🎥 = @GetUpESPN https://t.co/OfSE701GVt
Windhorst's colleague, Alan Hahn, responded to the comments on a recent episode of "Get Up." Hahn believes that the Pelicans should give Williamson a fully guaranteed max deal. He noted that Zion is still young and compared his foot injury recovery to Kevin Durant.
"You know how good I am," Hahn said. "I was young. I had a couple of foot injuries. Kevin Durant had foot injuries early in his career. How's it working out for him right now?"
Jayson Tatum admits he needs to better in NBA Finals
Jayson Tatum had 23 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and three blocks in the Celtics' 107-97 loss to the Warriors on Friday night. It was a solid stat line for Tatum, but he also committed six turnovers and shot 8-for-23 from the field.
The 24-year-old Celtics superstar was heavily criticized by NBA fans online, especially on Twitter. Tatum knows he has to play better for Boston to have a chance at winning their 18th championship. He told reporters (h/t ESPN) at the postgame news conference that he'll do his best moving forward.
"It's on me. I got to be better," Tatum said. "I know I'm impacting the game in other ways, but I got to be more efficient, shoot the ball better, finish at the rim better. I take accountability for that."
Luka Doncic posts workout video in attempt to stay in shape all summer
Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic has a reputation for being a bit overweight at the start of the season. Doncic had conditioning issues this season and it took him quite a bit to get in shape. The Slovenian star told reporters after the Mavericks' final game of the season that he'll take care of his health this offseason.
"I'm going to take probably one week off of basketball and then back to it," Doncic said. "You got to stay healthy, you know? The healthiness is the most important thing in basketball. If you're not healthy, you're not going to play."
Doncic has stayed true to his words as he recently posted about his summer workout on Instagram. He is back in Slovenia and looks in great shape. Luka is expected to have a busy offseason playing for his national team. Slovenia are set to compete in 2023 FIBA World Cup qualification matches and EuroBasket 2022.
Luka Doncic, exactly two weeks since the Mavs’ playoff run ended ⬇️ https://t.co/yIFC8Y1lvo