Sources say Ben Simmons will not play in the Nets-76ers game on Thursday but is expected to make the return trip to Philadelphia and join the team on the bench inside Wells Fargo Center. This, for me, doesn’t come as a surprise to anyone.
Here is more on Ben Simmons via Yard Barker:
Simmons’ debut for Brooklyn has been pushed back even further than previously expected as the 25-year-old point guard deals with back stiffness ahead of playing his first game of the season. While the Australian has never had a definitive timetable for returning to the court, he did say after being traded to the Nets in February that he hoped to be ready to face the Sixers on March 10.
Simmons has not played since June 20, 2021, in Game 7 of the second-round playoff series against the Atlanta Hawks.
“Unfortunately his back stiffness has delayed his ability to get on the court with his teammates. so he’s been rehabbing this last sort of week to 10 days,” Nets GM Sean Marks said in an interview with YES Network last week. “And then now he’ll progress throughout this week with some individual [work]. Hopefully, by the end of next week he’s getting more into the team environment, and then we can really ramp up and start him getting into sort of game shape and so forth.”
It will be very difficult for the Nets to win in the playoffs if Simmons doesn’t start playing soon. We all knew he had no interest in playing in Philadelphia against the Sixers, but he is running out of excuses after that.
Harden is playing lights out for the Sixers, who have a good chance at making a run at the NBA Finals. The Nets need Simmons to hold up his end of the bargain.
There aren’t many games left before the playoffs.
Flip to the next pages for Simmons out with his fiancee Maya Jama.
