The Nets have been witnessing something new this training camp — a healthy Ben Simmons.

However, it wasn’t initially known to be new until the point guard said Friday that he didn’t feel “100 percent” coming into training camp a year ago.

The Nets star was thought to be healthy before suffering a back injury after playing in the first five games of the season.

It continued to be an issue, along with running into knee problems, and Simmons went on to miss 67 of the 82 Nets games.

From speaking with reporters after practice, it seems Simmons started the season with another herniated disc, and the repeated injury problems of the 2023 season could have been prevented.

“I feel physically ready to play at a high level,” Simmons explained about feeling different coming into training camp ahead of the 2024-25 season. “Last year, I got to the point where I was good enough to get on the court, but I wasn’t 100 percent, which it was the situation — it was it was — but at the end of the day, I’m here now, and this is the situation. I feel great, and I put a lot of time and work in.”

“I was playing with another herniated disc, so that was probably a big reason why,” he added about his changed rehab process from last year. “This is my second surgery in a couple years. Same situation, different area in the back, but I’m cleared now and I feel great and ready to go.”

Simmons didn’t admit to feeling any pressure to play currently going into this year, but there seems to have been a rushed process last year to help on the court.

“I want to compete and help my teammates win. Being in positions like that, obviously, you want to do what you can and get what you have, and that’s what I did last year,” he said. “Whether I was healthy or not, I tried to do what I could for the team while I had an opportunity to play.”

A former Rookie of the Year, Simmons was playing on a five-year, $177 million deal signed in 2020 with the 76ers when he was acquired by Nets — along with Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, and two first-round draft picks — in exchange for James Harden and Paul Millsap in February 2022.

He was counted on to be a part of a Big Three alongside Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving to bring home a championship.

However, his injuries took over the narrative of his expensive Nets career.

Simmons has missed 189 of 246 games over the past three seasons with nerve impingements in his back that led to two microscopic partial discectomies, the latest this past March.

In the 57 games he has played out of the 191 Nets games since he was added to the roster, Simmons will have been paid $86. 3 million while averaging just 6.7 points.

Now with a clean bill of health and a lot of money spent, the Nets are hoping to finally spark his vintage three-time All-Star self from his days in Philadelphia that saw him average 15.9 points, 7.7 assists, and 8.1 rebounds.

“I feel amazing,” Simmons said. “Physically, I feel fine. I’m ready to go.”

Coming into a new scene with neither Durant and Irving nor Mikal Bridges — the top player from the deal that sent Durant to Phoenix who this summer was dealt to the Knicks — Simmons will be trusted along with Nic Claxton to take on a heavy load for a team in a rebuilding year.

In the last two seasons, the Nets have gone 31-26 with Simmons on the court and 46-61 without him.

It will be paramount for Simmons to stay healthy for a positive Nets season and for his future, as he will make $40.3 million in the final year of his contract before hitting unrestricted free agency next summer.

“Can’t do things on a basketball court if your body’s not ready, you know? It’s pretty simple,” Simmons said. “You’re not going to go downhill, jump into a 7-foot guy; just doesn’t make sense. But, I feel great now. I’m learning to trust my body more and more with the reps I get. So, it’s good.”