Shams Charania of The Athletic reported on Thursday that Ben Simmons is targeting a return to the floor to make his season and Nets debut within games 4-6 of Brooklyn's first-round series against the Celtics.
Adding Simmons to the fold would of course be a big boost for the Nets, both in terms of his defensive talent and his facilitating, but as of now, the Nets aren't anticipating a Simmons arrival against Boston. Instead, they're focusing on the series ahead with the group they know they have.
"I'm not expecting him to play," Kevin Durant said. "That's easier for me. I'm not putting any pressure on Ben to come out there and hoop. I'm not expecting him to do anything but just get his body right and get healthy as fast as he can. In my mind, I'm preparing as if we're playing with the team we have."
The thought of Simmons helping to run the floor with Durant and Kyrie Irving is an enticing one, but not one that Durant will entertain until Simmons is fully healthy and ready to go.
"I'm not even thinking about that," Durant said. "We all know the type of player Ben is, and you can put your own scenarios in your mind of what it would look like, but I'm not gonna go there. We're just taking it a day at a time."
Simmons hasn't played yet this season as he continues to recover from his ailing back, which flared up when he was going through reconditioning after being traded to Brooklyn. The Celtics, the hottest team in the league since the New Year, will be a tough first-round matchup despite the Nets boasting two of the top talents in the league in Durant and Irving, and for now, the team is operating as if they won't have the third leg of that star tripod.
"It's up to Ben's back," Simmons said. "It's not up to me or anyone else other than his back…There's a chance Ben comes back, there's a chance he doesn't come back. So for us we've got to focus on the group, support Ben and his journey to get back on the floor. But at the same time we don't have time to lose focus on the group that's playing."
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