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The Brooklyn Nets have no idea when Ben Simmons will make his team debut and veteran point guard Goran Dragic acknowledged that the situation surrounding Simmons’ return is difficult.
Simmons, who was acquired by the Nets in the blockbuster James Harden trade with the Philadelphia 76ers, is dealing with a back injury. Dragic is looking forward to playing with the three-time All-Star, but he said it’s “tough” that Simmons isn’t playing right now during the team’s winning streak.
“It’s tough,” Dragic said, via Nick Friedell of ESPN. “But at the same time, we’re all professionals here. We all know how to play basketball. Of course, you need some time to get on the floor and figure out those things but I always look at it this way: Now, he’s not playing and when we finally find a rhythm, [we] can’t wait ’til we got him back. Because then you get another weapon, another defender, another rebounder, so it’s going to be even better. Of course we wish him all the best and he can come back quick and help us.”
The Nets have 14 games left in the regular season. Simmons hasn’t been cleared to practice, but head coach Steve Nash has “extremely high hopes” that the LSU product will play before the season ends.
Nash on Simmons: ‘He’s Just Doing His Rehab’
It looks like the Nets will be in the play-in tournament. If the season ended today, they would face the Toronto Raptors in the first play-in game without Kyrie Irving, who can’t play in New York or Canada since he’s unvaccinated against COVID-19, making Simmons’ role on the team that much more vital.
Nash doesn’t know when Simmons will be cleared to play. However, the Hall of Famer is trying to stay positive.
“He’s just doing his rehab, strengthening. We’re still doing that side of things rather than court work right now. The biggest thing we’ve tried to do is to have him be involved in everything,” Nash said, via Friedell. “The traveling is the one caveat where sometimes you’re weighing the cost-benefit of him on airplanes and buses and different beds. When he’s with us we want him in every meeting, in every walkthrough, in every film session, whatever it may be so he’s around the group. We’d love for him to travel, be with the team all the time, but we have to weigh that scenario as well.”
If the Nets beat the Raptors in the play-in game, they would clinch the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs. If they lose, they would face the winner of the Atlanta Hawks-Charlotte Hornets play-in game to determine who the eighth seed is. The Nets would host that game, which means Irving wouldn’t be eligible to play.
Simmons is an elite passer and defender. However, he can’t shoot from the perimeter. It’s unknown what Nash, Irving and Kevin Durant have been telling him behind the scenes, but one NBA icon knows what he would be doing if he was Simmons’ teammate in Brooklyn.
Reggie Miller Talks Simmons
Indiana Pacers legend Reggie Miller spoke to Heavy recently and he revealed what he would do with Simmons if he was on the Nets.
“We all know the physical gifts that God gave him. We’ve seen that on full display. We know how talented he is. To me, that’s not the issue. It’s what’s between his shoulders,” Miller said. “If I was his teammate, I’d be trying to repair and build that up because he’s gotta become stronger mentally to go with his physical talent and there’s always gonna be guys taking shots and fans taking shots at him, especially in today’s world of social media.
“If I was Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Steve Nash and those guys, I would be building what’s upstairs and preparing him for what’s to come, for what’s to be said about him, how to handle that and juggle that. I know what he’s gonna be able to do on the basketball court. I’m not worried about that. I’m more worried about mentally. I’ve got to repair and get him stronger.”
Simmons has career averages of 15.9 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.7 assists. However, he’s only shooting 59.7% from the free-throw line and has made just five shots from beyond the arc. It will be interesting to see when he plays for the Nets and if he has confidence in his jumper.
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