Camila Sosa
Although the Brooklyn Nets are on another level thanks to the return of Kyrie Irving, the return of their other star, Ben Simmons, could be farther away than expected, and they will have to define their post-season without him on the court. Today at a press conference, Steve Nash, head coach of the franchise, confirmed that the 25-year-old forward will not be physically ready to return both for the remainder of the season and during the play-in tournament in which the team will participate to define its qualification to the post-season NBA.
In more precise updates on his status, Simmons is taking part in light practices such as shooting drills, but before he can make it to the Nets’ roster, he must pass three high-intensity workouts, which Steve Nash and the Brooklyn medical staff require. This is all due to a back injury he suffered on his way to reconditioning for the season, and re-aggravated upon arrival at his new team.
How Did Ben Simmons End up with the Nets?
The LSU graduate was a central part of the trade that brought James Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers, also including shooting guard Seth Curry, center Andre Drummond and two first-round picks as part of the package that brought the superstar point guard to the Sixers. Simmons is the only one of the aforementioned who has not yet made his debut during the current season.
The turbulent relationship between the 76ers and Ben Simmons reached a breaking point after the 2021 post-season, when the team was eliminated in seven games by the Atlanta Hawks in the conference semi-final. The forward was the focal point of criticism for his refusal to score points when Philadelphia needed them, making poor decisions at key moments and having a dismal offensive efficiency even in free throws.
His team also singled him out as the main culprit for the elimination, which was the final nail in the coffin of the relationship between the player and the organization, despite the fact that the latter tried on multiple occasions to fix the relationship and convince him to return to the courts, an act that never happened. Simmons would be a great addition to the Nets team despite his offensive struggles: he would instantly become the team’s best defender and with averages of 15.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 1.6 steals, he would complement Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving perfectly.
Brooklyn currently sits in tenth place in the Eastern Conference with a 40-38 record, trailing the Charlotte Hornets (due to a tiebreaker between the two) and the Atlanta Hawks by one game. The Nets are in no danger of losing their place in the play-in tournament, as the New York Knicks are in 11th place and mathematically eliminated. But they could avoid an extra game by regaining the eighth spot and beating the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are in seventh place.
