The Brooklyn Nets acquired Ben Simmons from the Philadelphia 76ers in February, but Simmons has yet to see the court. On Saturday, though, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Ben Simmons will begin practicing with his teammates.
ESPN Sources: After running and shooting pain-free for over a week, the Brooklyn Nets’ Ben Simmons is expected to take the next step on the court in the coming week: Beginning to go against teammates on the practice floor.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 16, 2022
Simmons hasn’t played for Brooklyn due to a herniated disc in his back. He received an epidural in March and has practiced pain-free for the past week. With that, Brooklyn is taking the next steps in his rehab. What that includes remains to be seen, but he will be involved in more game-like situations.
The Nets are set to begin a best-of-seven series with the Boston Celtics on Sunday, with reports surfacing that Simmons could return for the latter half of the series. Simmons likely wouldn’t play more than 10-15 minutes in a given game, but he can provide Brooklyn with some much needed defensive consistency. Simmons made the All-NBA Defensive team in both 2020 and 2021.
Ben Simmons’ Role On the Court
On the offensive end, Simmons could play the role that Bruce Brown has grown into over the past month. Teams have consistently double-teamed Kevin Durant every time he has touched the ball beyond the three-point line. That leaves Bruce Brown open for a free roll to the basket. Brown has done well coming off of those double teams, and kicking it to the three-point line for an open shot or going to the basket for a layup. With Simmons’ elite passing and finishing ability, he should be able to fill that role well even in small spurts.
Simmons’ upside only increases in this series as long as Robert Williams remains sidelined for the Celtics with a meniscus tear in his left knee. At 6 feet and 10 inches, Simmons shouldn’t have many issues with Al…