For four years now, basketball fans have been waiting for a glimpse of the old Ben Simmons—the versatile two-way guard who set the NBA alight around the start of the decade, inviting comparisons to legendary Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James.

Simmons made an immediate impact off Los Angeles' bench in his team debut, and his 12 points matched his third-highest scoring output of the season. It's unknown if the 28-year-old former All-Star will be cleared to play in both legs of back-to-back sets down the stretch of the campaign,