Jonathon Simmons playing himself into rhythm for Orlando Magic

Jonathon Simmons did not get the summer he wanted thanks to a wrist injury that kept him away from the court. Now he is playing himself into shape.

Jonathon Simmons is a bit antsy. It is easy to tell.

The summer was a tough one for him. A wrist injury that cost him the final 12 games of the season never seemed to go away. By June, Simmons was having wrist surgery and having to change up his entire summer plans.

He was not even able to touch a basketball, no matter how much he wanted to. Even shooting or receiving a pass was off limits.

For a player who has sacrificed so much and been through so much to get to this point, it was a frustrating and anxious moment. There would be no summer pickup games for him. All he could do as he sat in a cast was work on his conditioning waiting to get cleared.

As much as he could do with that, it clearly put him a bit behind.

Simmons only participated in the last of the team’s optional workouts as he was cleared for contact only a few weeks before training camp. Now he is playing catch up.

"“I think he is just playing his way into rhythm,” coach Steve Clifford said. “He’s a competitive guy. He has great team spirit and he can get the ball into the paint and at the basket. I know that from coaching against him and watching the film from last year. He’s still on minute restriction. He’s going to be a big part of what we’re doing.”"

Simmons said he feels he is getting better every day. But the rust is a bit evident on the court.

Take a play in the second quarter of Monday’s game against the Miami Heat as an example. Simmons did what he always does so well and got into the paint and right to the basket. The defense shifted over to defend him. And Simmons went for a layup that he had finished a million times.

Except the ball sort of left his hands and fell flat. It never got to the rim. Fortunately, Mohamed Bamba was there to clean up the miss and he jammed it — and then tried to help Jonathon Simmons up as he got back on defense. It left the FOX Sports Florida broadcast crew discussing whether Simmons intentionally left it short to feed Bamba as an assist. The official play-by-play from the league said he was.

But there have been plenty of other moments where Simmons looked a bit off. Shots are still falling flat and wayward. His drives and forays to the rim are not finishing with the same thunder.

Through three preseason games, Simmons has scored 16 points on 6-for-21 shooting (28.6 percent). It has not been an encouraging effort, but then again somewhat understandable considering his injury predicament. Simmons is still finding his rhythm.

For now, Clifford seems fine letting his veteran players try to play their way through the preseason and find this rhythm. There is a level of trust knowing what they can do when the games start counting.

Clifford said Simmons was still finding his rhythm. He is behind as he prepares for the season.

But Clifford and the Orlando Magic know Simmons, who had a career year last year as his first time in the main rotation and as a starter averaging 13.9 points per game, will be vital to the team’s success.

"“He is fearless,” Clifford said. “He is strong, fast, quick, even for our league. He loves to play. Even in practice, he brings so much to your team just having him out there. He understands we just have to make sure. He did a good job with his conditioning over the summer. We just have to make sure we are bringing him along the right way. If we’re going to have the year we’re capable of, he’s going to be a big part of it.”"

His role for the Magic will be a vital one.

Simmons said he has taken on a bit of a leadership role as one of the older players on the team. In addition to that, he is one of the few rotation players on the team with deep Playoff experience from his time with the San Antonio Spurs.

Orlando Magic

The energy he brings in practice Clifford has reiterated is extremely valuable. That is probably why there remains faith the other parts of his game will round into form.

Simmons has high expectations for himself too. That likely led to some of the frustration of having to sit out most of the summer. He has spoken to the media about his desire to be among the elites in the league. An ambitious goal, for sure.

"“In this league you want to try to improve every year,” Simmons said. “Obviously being a more consistent shooter and a passer being able to find guys on this team. For me, my goal is to be one of the elite guys. My goal is to be able to compete and be some of the same name as the elite guys.”"

He had a lot to improve upon this summer from his shooting to his playmaking that all seemed within reach. So while he kept himself in shape, it is still unclear whether he is in basketball shape.

That, as much as anything, seems to be what his preseason is for. To try to harness his ambitions into something the team can use this year. Because the team will need Simmons to play a large role once again — whether it is as a start spotter, a defensive ace off the bench or the sixth man.

Simmons has always been up for the challenge and found a way to expand his game. This is just another one of those challenges to get where he wants to be and the team needs him to be.