Report: Ben Simmons Will Most Likely Not Play Vs. 76ers

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said the Nets’ plan is to have the guard debut in Brooklyn after the Philly game.

Ben Simmons has yet to make his Nets debut since being traded on Feb. 10 from the 76ers.

Simmons has actually not played all of the 2021–22 season yet due to his mental health and injuries. 

Despite not making his official season start, fans were curious if Simmons would be ready by March 10 when Brooklyn faces Philadelphia. The highly anticipated matchup will be the first time the two teams have played each other since the blockbuster trade went down last month.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski spoke on ABC on Sunday and shared that Simmons would not be available that quickly, he believed.

“There’s tremendous urgency around the Nets to get Ben Simmons on the court, get him incorporated and playing with his team,” Wojnarowski said. “Simmons is going to join them at some point. The Nets hope is when Brooklyn gets back after Thursday’s game in Philly. Simmons at that point will be ready to start getting on the floor with his teammates, increasing his workload and getting closer to returning.”

Ben Simmons getting a couple shots up after practice. pic.twitter.com/n0NkCTmRUd

— Nick Friedell (@NickFriedell) March 5, 2022

The Nets’ next home game after the Philly game is on Sunday verses the Knicks. It’s still unknown when Simmons’s debut would be.

According to The Athletic, Nets coach Steve Nash said Simmons will be joining the Nets this week on their road trip, including to Philadelphia. 

Regarding Simmons’s back injury, Nash said a couple weeks ago that he was wanting Simmons to endure a few “high-intensity workouts” before playing in a game. 

“That back problem has been an issue for him since he’s tried to start ramping up,” Wojnarowski said. “He’s essentially really just done individual work at their facility. They’re hoping by the end of this week, he’ll be able to do more.”

If Simmons is able to practice more this week, it is possible he could make his debut sometime this month. Nothing is official yet, though.