Getty Ben Simmons #10 and Kevin Durant #7 of the Brooklyn Nets greet each other during warm ups before the game against the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Brooklyn Nets will kick off what they hope will be their only game of the play-in tournament on Tuesday, April 12, against the Cleveland Cavaliers. If the Nets make the playoffs, All-Star forward, Ben Simmons could join the team as soon as the first round, according to ESPN Insider Adrian Wojnarowski.
“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,” Wojnarowski writes per ESPN.
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Insider Details How Nets Have Challenged Ben Simmons
The Nets landed Simmons in a blockbuster trade on February 10, and he still has yet to take the floor for the Nets. But as he nears a return, Simmons has begun to practice more with his teammates. NBA Insider Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson of Bally Sports says that during these practices, some of the Nets players are “challenging” Simmons.
“Nets players have been challenging Ben Simmons in practice, sources tell [Bally Sports]. One Nets player told Simmons in practice yesterday: “Make something happen in your life”. There has been no change in Simmons’ return timetable other than possibly later in playoffs,” Robinson said via his Twitter account on April 12.
“One Nets fixture believes that Ben Simmons can play in later rounds and tells [Bally Sports] that Simmons’ swag is at an all-time high right now. “He walks around like he’s Jordan.”
Seth Curry Gets Candid About the Play-in Game
Seth Curry has been battling an ankle injury since he arrived in Brooklyn with Simmons. It has caused him to miss several games with the Nets. After missing Brooklyn’s season finale against the Indiana Pacers, Curry is set to suit up for the Nets’ play-in duel with the Cavaliers. While the Nets marksman is not sure how long he will play against Cleveland, Curry understands the importance of maximizing the time that he has out on the floor.
“If I have 10-15 minutes on the court, I gotta be efficient with what I’m doing out there and get the shots that I need and then get off of it,” Curry told reporters via NetsDaily.
Curry came to the Nets with Simmons from Philadelphia. And as much as he would enjoy having his ex-Sixers teammate back on the floor with him, he realizes that in a must-win situation, the Nets have to be prepared to win without Simmons.
“We’re worried about the play-in game right now,” Curry continued. “If Ben comes in, we’ll try and integrate him as much as possible, but we feel like we’re locked into this play-in situation right now, if Ben does become available, we’ll deal with that then, but we have to worry about who we have out there and focus on Cleveland. I don’t think anybody’s going to be thinking about if Ben can come back, as a team. Maybe the coaches and front office — but as players, we’re locked into the task at hand.”
If the Nets can secure a win over the Cavaliers, they will place 7th in the Eastern Conference playoff standings, and be set for a rematch of last year’s first-round matchup with their division rival, the Boston Celtics.
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