Nick Friedell Believes Ben Simmons Will Not Play For Brooklyn Nets This Season: “He Hasn’t Been Cleared For Team Work, He Hasn’t Been Cleared For Conditioning”

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Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

The Brooklyn Nets just beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference play-in to book their playoff spot against the #2 seeded Boston Celtics. While the Nets will be the odd-on-favorite despite being the lower seed, they will also be missing a massive piece from their lineup.

Ben Simmons and his status to return to the court is a mystery that just isn’t finding many answers. We know that he is dealing with a back injury. However, what we don’t know is whether the injury will rule him out of the playoffs, as Brooklyn has been very coy in sharing that answer

ESPN analyst Nick Friedell has thoughts on the Simmons situation and believes that all the signs are pointing toward Simmons not playing this season due to all the steps he still has to complete before being cleared to play.

“You ask Steve Nash, he says we’re still hopeful we will put Ben in there whenever he is physically ready to play. Ask his teammates and they’ll say, we haven’t seen him much on the floor.”

“Simmons is doing all this individual work but hasn’t been cleared for team work. 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 Neta don’t know.”

The availability of Ben Simmons changes the dynamic with which this Nets team operates on the court. They will finally have a formidable defender who has the size and skills to defend players anywhere on the floor. In addition, you also receive a secondary playmaker that could free up Kevin Durant to focus more on scoring than creating. 

However, it does look like this season is a stretch too far to see Simmons back on the floor. If he can get healthy and deliver on what his skill-set promises next season, the Nets will continue to be contenders for as long as they can keep this core together.

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Ishaan Bhattacharya is a content manager for Fadeaway World from New Delhi, India. With his expertise in NBA content creation, Ishaan brings a wealth of experience to his role, contributing to the site's authority and reach within the basketball community. Over the last year, Ishaan has interviewed Ray Allen and Mark Tatum, while also covering the 2023 NBA Abu Dhabi Games which saw the Dallas Mavericks take on the Minnesota Timberwolves.Since joining Fadeaway World in March 2022, Ishaan Bhattacharya has become known for his unique perspective on the NBA. He consistently delivers this insight through his daily news coverage and detailed opinion pieces on the most significant topics in the league.Before his tenure at Fadeaway World, Ishaan worked in corporate communications, where he serviced prominent sports brands, including NBA India, Sports18, Amazon Prime Sports, and Royal Challengers Bangalore. This experience in strategic communications for leading sports entities has enhanced his ability to craft impactful narratives and connect with a global audience.A true MFFLer (Mavs Fan for Life, for the uninitiated), Ishaan is a massive fan of the Dallas Mavericks. When he is not upset about Jalen Brunson walking in free agency, you can see Ishaan as an avid gamer and content creator. His passion for basketball extends beyond the Mavericks, as evidenced by his thoughtfully curated NBA Mount Rushmore, featuring LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Bill Russell—each representing distinct eras and bringing their unique qualities to the game.Featured On: ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Bleacher ReportYahoo Sports, NBA, Fox Sports, The Spun
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