Brooklyn Nets head coach Steve Nash claimed he expects Ben Simmons to play this season. Simmons is dealing with a back issue since he started his recovery process due to a lengthy absence from action.
The Nets forward has not played since last season’s Eastern Conference semifinals between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Hawks. The three-time All-Star asked out of Philadelphia at the start of the 2021 offseason, and the Sixers eventually sent him to Brooklyn in exchange for James Harden at the February trade deadline.
There are 11 games left in the regular season and Simmons still has yet to participate in a full team practice after more than a month since the trade. Nash said Simmons is focused on rehabbing of his back issue.
“The physical therapist just works on his rehabilitation,” Nash said Sunday, per Yahoo Sports. “I wasn’t on [the table] working on him. They do what they do in a clinical setting and try to improve his condition. … A lot of bio-mechanical work, manual therapy, all sorts of stuff to get him in a position to start to move in the right sequence and fashion.”
Ben Simmons still isn’t able to do anything from a basketball perspective with his ongoing back injury and was unable to provide an update on when he might return.
However, Nash believes the point forward will be able to play this season for his team.
“I’m fully expecting to have him this year. That’s where my head’s at,” Nash said of Simmons after Sunday’s practice.
The Nets are already having a tough time playing without Kyrie Irving at the home games. Missing Simmons will be another hit in their championship chances this year.
Brooklyn sits at the seventh seed with seven of its 11 games being at home, which means that Irving will not be available to play due to New York City’s vaccine mandate. So getting Simmons back healthy and ready to go as quickly as possible is crucial for these Nets.
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