Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons was named to his first NBA All-Star team during his second season in the league, but he also lost some of the feeling of enjoyment that the game had always brought him in the process.  However, after a summer of extensive on-court work in preparation for his third professional season, Simmons has rediscovered the love that he has for the game, and he is extremely eager for Philadelphia's 2019-20 campaign to get underway. 

"I feel like this summer I fell in love with the game again," Simmons said, via the Associated Press. "I kind of got back to who I was and having fun with the game. 

"I felt like the past season I lost that enjoyment side of it but I feel like this summer has been huge for me. Just the work I've been putting in, I kinda fell in love with putting that work in again and I've been in the gym every day working and the results have been paying off so I'm excited for the season to start."

Despite his considerable skillset, Simmons has been on the receiving end of his fair share of criticism due to his lack of a reliable jump shot, and though he hears the chatter, he has gotten better at blocking it out, which he thinks will help him on the floor. 

"I think sometimes you kind of get too deep into it where you listen to other people which should never be the thing you do unless they're giving you positive feedback or trying to help you get better because there's a lot of negativity out there," Simmons said. "It's huge once you kind of block that out, you don't really care, you kinda go out there feeling free. You don't care if you miss a shot because everyone misses a shot so that's one of the things that I think this summer I got back to how I was as a player just playing and doing what I love at a high level." 

Considering all of the changes that the team made over the offseason, combined with his own improvement, Simmons is understandably excited for the Sixers' potential this season. 

"We're locked in. We're ready to play," Simmons said of the Sixers. "We've been in the gym. We've been there early. We're competing trying to get each other better from the rooks to the guys who are vets. I think it's going to be an exciting year for the 76ers."  

It's somewhat surprising to hear that a player as young and talented as Simmons was already feeling a bit jaded toward the game. However, there's a ton of pressure that comes with being an NBA player, and each individual handles it differently. The important thing for Simmons is that his internal fire is re-lit, as the Sixers have an opportunity to capture their first title since 1983, and Simmons figures to be central to their success.