Ben Simmons was fully expected to make his Nets, and season, debut in Game 4 on Monday night against the Boston Celtics but that changed on Sunday when he was ruled out due to back soreness.
The news was not entirely surprising, considering Simmons has not played all season for neither the 76ers nor the Nets, but it certainly did not improve his perception around the league and even had one of the greats, Reggie Miller, sounding off on him.
The Hall of Famer and NBA color commentator for TNT ripped the Nets point guard in a social media post questioning Simmons’ competitive nature.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the reason Simmons was ruled out was because he experienced back soreness on Sunday after practicing on Saturday in preparation to play Monday night.
Either it was unfortunate timing for Simmons or he conjured up an excuse to avoid taking the court. Miller appears to think it is the latter.
Simmons has avoided playing all season after being discontent with the 76ers and dealing with mental health issues while also rehabbing a back injury since he was traded to the Nets in February.
The Nets gave up James Harden and Paul Millsap in exchange for Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and two first-round picks.
Should the Nets win on Monday, a Game 5 would be played on Wednesday night in Boston, but it is hard to imagine when Simmons will actually return to the court.
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