Ben Simmons has yet to play for the Brooklyn Nets since being acquired from the Philadelphia 76ers in the blockbuster James Harden trade. The three-time All-Star is dealing with a back injury and hasn’t even practiced with his new teammates.
Nets forward Kevin Durant is looking forward to playing with Simmons, who has career averages of 15.9 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.7 assists. However, the superstar swingman doesn’t want his new teammate to rush back.
“He’s doing good,” Durant said of Simmons, via Nick Friedell of ESPN. “He looks good as far as just walking around and being around the team. Haven’t seen him do anything on the basketball court as much, but a couple walk-through things. But I think his spirits are in the right place and he’s excited to be a part of the group and looking forward to having him out on the floor. I definitely don’t want him to rush back for us and his back is not right, so take all the time he needs to get his body right and once he’s out there we’re ready to rock and roll.”
Nets head coach Steve Nash has repeatedly said the team is hopeful Simmons will play this season. The LSU product, who has only spoken to the Brooklyn media once, received an epidural injection in his back last week since he’s dealing with soreness.
Simmons Is Dealing with a Herniated Disc in His Back
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Simmons is dealing with a herniated disc in his back. The Nets thought Simmons would play on March 18 against the Portland Trail Blazers, but his back issues persisted.
“Simmons is dealing with a herniated disc in his back and although his return to action this season is uncertain, he wants to be back on the floor as soon as he can, sources tell The Athletic. Simmons, who had an epidural injection last week to relieve the soreness, has dealt with back issues dating back to February 2020 when he missed time due to a nerve impingement,” Charania reported.
“As Nets general manager Sean Marks said recently, Simmons’ return this season has been delayed due to the back. Then, a target return of March 18 against the Portland Trail Blazers was missed as the back issues persisted. The 25-year-old is expected to continue to work toward a return for the NBA playoffs and would make his debut whenever he is fully cleared to play, but it’s uncertain when that will be. The Nets are 37-34, having won five of their past six games.”
Simmons hasn’t played since June 20, 2021. He will certainly be rusty when he makes his Nets debut, but he won’t be asked to carry a huge offensive load since Brooklyn has Durant and Kyrie Irving, two of the best scorers in the NBA.
Simmons Doesn’t Have to Score a Lot with Nets
Simmons is an elite defender and playmaker. If he plays stout defense and sets up Durant and Irving for easy looks on offense, Simmons will be adored by Nets fans.
If the regular season ended today, the Nets would travel to Canada to face the Toronto Raptors in the first play-in tournament game. Irving wouldn’t be able to play since he’s unvaccinated against COVID-19, so Brooklyn has to be hoping that Simmons will be available for that contest. The lefty has played well against the Raptors in his career, averaging 15.9 points, 8.6 rebounds and 7.6 assists in 14 games.
The Sixers needed Simmons to be a superstar next to Joel Embiid and he couldn’t live up to that hype since he can’t shoot jumpers. With the Nets, Simmons can focus on defense and passing and stay relatively under the radar since Durant and Irving are the focal points.
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Nets’ Kevin Durant Makes It Clear What He Doesn’t Want from Ben Simmons