The Celtics’ opening-round series with Brooklyn, which gets underway Sunday at TD Garden, offers no shortage of compelling plotlines. One of those narratives involves Ben Simmons, who is trending toward a mid-series return after missing the regular season with mental health issues (which some suspect was a ploy to get out of Philadelphia) and a nagging back injury.
If healthy, Simmons would provide a much-needed defensive presence, helping to neutralize a potent Celtics offense (ranked fifth in efficiency) led by All-Stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. That, of course, is a big if, not to mention the effects of rust after a nearly 10-month layoff. Even if the 25-year-old miraculously returns to his previous All-Star form, there’s no telling how Simmons would mesh with stars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant or how many minutes he’d be able to play. That’s a lot of variables for a team that barely made the playoffs to begin with, which is why ESPN personality Kendrick Perkins is of the belief Brooklyn should forget about Simmons, instead relying on the players that got them to this position.
“I think they should shut Ben Simmons down for the rest of the season,” opined Perkins on Friday’s First Take. “This has become a distraction. You’re in the most crucial point of the season. You have to get ready to go against a hell of a squad in the Boston Celtics and you’re worrying about if Ben Simmons is going to return or not.”
Simmons hasn’t appeared in a game since last June, when he collapsed in one of the great playoff meltdowns of all-time, losing all confidence in his ability to shoot as the top-seeded Sixers bowed out in their Eastern Conference semifinal series against Atlanta. “He hasn’t played since last June. What do people not realize with that? You don’t just walk into the game of basketball at its highest level and expect this man to come out and be some type of savior or play at an elite level,” Perk continued. “The fact that Steve Nash has to answer that question is beyond disturbing at this point.”
Though the Nets should want as many weapons at their disposal as possible against the Celtics (who many pegged as Eastern Conference favorites before losing Defensive Player of the Year candidate Robert “Time Lord” Williams to a knee injury), Perkins isn’t sure throwing Simmons into the fire this late in the season is such a good idea. “You are 2-3 days from Game 1. You should be worried about how you’re going to defend Jayson Tatum, how you’re going to defend Jaylen Brown, how you’re going to get KD or Kyrie open if a double team comes,” said the former Celtics big man. “You should not have to be answering questions about a guy that hasn’t played since last June.”
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