The Brooklyn Nets coughed up a 17-point lead to the Boston Celtics last night, as they watched the Celtics take a commanding 2-0 lead in their Eastern Conference Quarterfinals series (with things shifting back to Brooklyn this weekend). This morning, Shams Charania reports that the Nets are eying a Game 4 return for Ben Simmons.
Brooklyn Nets three-time All-Star Ben Simmons plans to make his season debut in Game 4 vs. Boston on Monday as long as rehab remains on course, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Simmons is set to play his first game since June 2021.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 21, 2022
If Simmons’ rehab from a back injury stays the course, he could make his Nets debut on Monday in Brooklyn, with the Nets potentially fighting for their NBA Playoffs lives. Simmons has not played in an NBA game since the Atlanta Hawks eliminated the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals in June 2021.
Simmons averaged just 11.5 points in 12 postseason contests for Philly last season and took some public flack from Doc Rivers after the second-round exit for Philadelphia, causing the relationship between Simmons and the 76ers to be strained beyond repair and leading to a cumbersome holdout to open the season before he was eventually traded to the Nets for James Harden.
Brooklyn’s NBA title hopes this season are fading quickly after dropping the first two games of this series in Boston, so the addition of Ben Simmons will be a welcomed addition. Still, it will also be the first time Simmons has played with his new Brooklyn teammates in what could be a potential elimination game for the Nets.