Ben Simmons still hasn’t played a game for the Brooklyn Nets.
Head coach Steve Nash gave an update on Simmons today, saying he’s put in 4-on-4 work and it’s been going well. While that sounds great, it feels like we’ve been hearing “he’s almost done” all season. When the hell is Ben Simmons playing?
I was of the opinion that he will not play in any NBA games this season. The regular season part came true, and it looks like the same will be said for the postseason. It feels like that sudden back injury Simmons is struggling with could hamper any return plans. We’ve seen clips of Simmons getting work on the pitch before. So I’m not going to get overly excited for a video of Simmons diving in at the gym and walking at half speed.
But the Nets are 1-0 down and could be in a 2-0 hole if their first-round series switches back to Brooklyn. If that happens, do we see Simmons return in game three or four with the season potentially in jeopardy? Should the Nets fall in the second game of the series, Simmons could become an immediate necessity for them to progress past the first round.
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As NBA fans, we all hoped to see Simmons play at this point, but if he’s going to make his comeback, there’s no better time than the present. Like most of you I’m still wondering how bad the back is since it hasn’t played in all year. You’d think Simmons would be the freshest player on the team, if not the league.
Even though Simmons can only cover 15-20 minutes in the first two games, the Nets need his size as they lack in that area. I honestly think the Nets front office is looking to next year with Simmons, but if he can return this postseason then of course they’ll take it.
Brooklyn isn’t the deepest team in the NBA, so adding an All-NBA player like Simmons to the roster should pay off tremendously. I don’t care that he hasn’t played all season. There’s no pressure on Ben to score on this Nets team. If Simmons can provide defense and ease offense, Brooklyn can capitalize on those aspects of his game right away.
It feels like Ben is in his own head. And it’s probably an aftermath of the seventh game against the Atlanta Hawks in last year’s playoffs. After all, that game and the post-game press conference led to Simmons deciding he had it enough of Philly. If that was really the case, then I understand. But the back injury is still a mystery to most.
The networks continue to provide minor updates on Simmons’ status, intended only as teasing. Aside from the update given above by Nash, there was also a recent update that Simmons “pain freenow. Obviously this is why he was cleared for the 4v4 game. But now how long will it be before Ben gets back on the pitch in uniform?
As well as Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are, they need more help. Because of this, the franchise went to James Harden last season. Obviously that didn’t work. But now it’s time for Simmons to return to court. If we don’t see Simmons in game three or four of this series with Boston, it probably won’t happen any time soon. Like most of you, I think Simmons is ready to come back when I see him check into a game.
