Even after the James Harden deal, nobody had any clue when to expect Ben Simmons on the basketball court.
After his battle in Philadelphia, Ben suffered a back injury that prevented him from playing for his new team.
Not long ago, Simmons was pretty much ruled out to make a return this season and many gave up hope the Nets would be able to bring home a Championship in 2022.
“Simmons is doing all this individual work but hasn’t been cleared for team work,” said Nick Friedell. “He hasn’t been cleared for conditioning, hasn’t been able to run. It is very unclear when Simmons will be able to return. There is hope internally that it will happen sometime in the next week, it’s just that the Nets don’t know.”
Apparently, that’s all starting to change now. On ESPN’s ‘Get Up,’ NBA Insider Brian Windhorst provided a very interesting update on Simmons and suggested he might end up making his debut as early as Game 4.
“I am told that Ben Simmons is targeting Game 4, 5, or 6 for making his Brooklyn Nets debut. I gotta say, I was taken aback by being told that information. My response was ‘is he even playing 5-on-5 yet?’ And the answer to that is no but the hope is that by the end of the week he can ramp up to that So that is still some time, we’re talking about over 7 days. It’s a big ask, but I have to say that, really, for 7-8 weeks now I’ve heard nothing but pessimism on the Ben Simmons front, and that has switched dramatically in the last few days. So, right now, I have to report that it is possible that we will see Ben Simmons in this series against the Celtics.”
.@WindhorstESPN says Ben Simmons could make his Nets debut as early as game four against Boston 👀
"For seven, eight weeks now I've heard nothing but pessimism on the Ben Simmons front, and that has switched dramatically in the last few days." pic.twitter.com/5GfhuvKvto
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) April 14, 2022
After everything that has transpired over the past few weeks, it’s hard to believe that Ben could make his return so soon. Even if he gets healthy, will he actually be ready to play playoff basketball?
That much remains to be seen, but it says a lot that Simmons himself has even teased a comeback.
There is no question that having another multiple-time All-Star on the court would be huge for the Nets. He brings expert defense and playmaking abilities to a team that hasn’t been fully healthy all year long.
He might be all they need to go all the way.
