April 15, 2022
By Jolie Paz-Garcia
Staff Writer
If you are a fan of Ben Simmons and were looking forward to his debut with the Brooklyn Nets, you shouldn’t have gotten your hopes up.
While Nets general manager Sean Marks said he wanted Simmons to get back on the court, Head Coach Steve Nash dispelled those hopes.
“He’s not ready for even one-on-one, let alone three-on-three, five-on-five,” Nash told reporters. “He’s got to get to a place where he can go full speed unopposed, one-on-oh, and then we’ll talk about and hopefully quickly he can go to one-on-one, three-on-three, five-on-five.”
Fans may be excited to see him back on the court, but they need to be patient so he doesn’t put himself at risk of further injury.
During the Nets’ practice on March 5, Simmons took some shots, but no date has been announced as to when he will be able to practice fully and compete with his teammates.
Due to issues relating to his mental and physical health, Simmons has not played in any games this season. Simmons experienced back soreness due to reconditioning and is exhibiting irritation in his L-4 disc of the lower spine. Simmons received an epidural to accelerate his recovery.
His last appearance in a game was on June 20, when his team, the 76ers, ended its season after a 103-96 loss to the Atlanta Hawks in the playoffs.
Simmons is dealing with a painful injury, and it appears that he will need more time to recover and heal correctly. Fans may be excited to see him back on the court, but they need to be patient so he doesn’t put himself at risk of further injury.
The clock is ticking, as the Nets completed the play-in tournament on April 15. Simmons is most likely not going to play during the playoff games, as he has, unfortunately, made little progress.
