The Brooklyn Nets executed a landscape-altering trade that sent James Harden and Paul Millsap to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, and former number one overall pick Ben Simmons. The Nets executed that trade knowing that Simmons, who was the centerpiece of the deal, had gone nearly nine months since he last played, and would need a ramp-up period before he was cleared to suit up. But it has been over two months since the Nets brought the All-Star forward to Brooklyn, and a herniated disc in his back has caused Simmons’ return date to suffer multiple setbacks. With the playoffs quickly approaching, the newly acquired Nets star’s unavailability is becoming more of a concern, as Brooklyn will likely have to compete in the play-in tournament without him.
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Ben Simmons Could Debut for Nets in First Round
The Nets have begun to pile up injuries at a less than ideal time. With Simmons already out, Seth Curry dealing with an ankle injury, and newly acquired reserve Goran Dragic still in health and safety protocols, the Nets roster looks thin as they eye a postseason berth. However, there is a silver lining for Brooklyn. Ben Simmons has been ramping up his on-court work and could return as soon as the first round of the playoffs, assuming the Nets make it out of the play-in tournament, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
“The pain-free progress of Brooklyn Nets star Ben Simmons’ back is fueling hope that the three-time All-Star could debut sometime in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, even if it’s limited to a 10-15 minutes-per-game role, sources told ESPN on Sunday,” Wojnarowski writes per ESPN.
Shams Charania of “The Athletic” also confirmed that there is ‘optimism’ surrounding a Simmons return via his Twitter account on April 10.
Nets Have Ruled Simmons Out of Play-in Tournament
The Nets will kick off what they hope will be a short play-in tournament on Tuesday, April 12 against the Cleveland Cavaliers, who Brooklyn just defeated on April 8. If the Nets win that game, they will officially qualify for the playoffs. If Brooklyn loses, they will have to face and defeat the loser of the Charlotte Hornets and Atlanta Hawks play-in game. Whatever the outcome of their play-in schedule is, Wojnarowski says that Simmons will not be available for any of it.
“[Ben] Simmons has been ruled out of the NBA’s play-in tournament, and sources believe that Games 1 and 2 of an Eastern Conference playoff series would be too soon to expect Simmons to be ready to make his debut,” Wojnarowski continued.
“Simmons has been moving more freely on the court and advanced to shooting and 1-on-0 workouts after stops and starts since his trade to the Nets from the Philadelphia 76ers two months ago. Simmons had an epidural shot in mid-March to subdue pain and irritation with a herniated disc in his lower back. He has found more traction in the past week, and, barring setbacks, there’s an increasing confidence that he could become available to the Nets sometime in a first-round series, assuming the Nets advance out of the play-in tournament.”
The Nets have had quite the rollercoaster already in the regular season, and will need one more win before they can officially say that they are playoff-bound. If they can secure a playoff berth, and get Simmons back in the first round, their opponent could have their hands full.
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Nets Ben Simmons ‘Ramping up Workload,’ New Debut Timeline Revealed: Report