Nets' Ben Simmons won't play Thursday vs. 76ers, expected to join team on bench in Philly, per report

 

Now that Kevin Durant has made his return to the Brooklyn Nets lineup after missing time due to an MCL sprain, all attention shifts to the season debut of Ben Simmons. Since acquiring Simmons from the Philadelphia 76ers at the Feb. 10 trade deadline, the All-Defensive guard has been dealing with back stiffness and has yet to make his Brooklyn debut. 

There is still no definitive timeline, and Simmons will not play in the Nets' upcoming matchup against his former team in Philadelphia on Thursday, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. Simmons is expected to be in the building, however, and will sit on the bench with the team. 

As a result of his holdout in Philadelphia, the last time Simmons played in an NBA game was Game 7 of the Sixers' second-round series against the Atlanta Hawks on June 20. In an interview with YES Network's Michael Grady last week, Nets general manager Sean Marks said that they hope he'll be able to begin ramping up his return-to-play program by the end of next week.

"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," Marks said. "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. 

"Although there's no real timetable, we've got to take it day by day and see how he responds. And hopefully sooner the better. We need to get this group together and get minutes together on the court."

This jibes with what coach Steve Nash said last week before Brooklyn hosted the Toronto Raptors (and shortly before Nash was placed in health and safety protocols). "He's just doing some light shooting and just physical therapy," Nash said, describing Simmons' back issue as a "little flare-up." In general, before the Nets clear a player to return from a lengthy absence, he must complete three high-intensity workouts (i.e. full-contact, five-on-five scrimmages). 

Nash also said Sunday ahead of Brooklyn's game against the Boston Celtics that while there's no real update on Simmons' status, he is expected to join the Nets on their current three-game road trip that concludes with a showdown against the Sixers on March 10. When Simmons was introduced as a member of the Nets after the trade deadline, he spoke about his hope to play against the Sixers, and certainly everyone will want to see these two teams go head-to-head. But based on Marks' comments, next Sunday (March 13 against the New York Knicks) is the absolute earliest Simmons could return, but even that is probably optimistic.