The Brooklyn Nets acquired Ben Simmons at the trade deadline and have waited for his debut ever since. Upon joining the team in a move that sent James Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers, Simmons has sat on the sidelines, in large part due to a lingering back issue that has prevented him from ramping up his on-court preparation.
With each passing day during the regular season, it seemed like the possibility of Simmons suiting up for the Nets got slimmer and slimmer. Ultimately, he was unable to play before the playoffs rolled around, and then all of a sudden, Brooklyn started to seem way more optimistic about his ability to contribute. It turns out that’s going to happen, because according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Simmons has gotten to a place where he’s ready to suit up and play in Game 4 of Brooklyn’s series against the Boston Celtics on Monday evening unless he suffers a setback.
Barring a setback, Brooklyn's Ben Simmons plans to play in Game 4 on Monday vs. the Boston Celtics, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 22, 2022
Boston currently holds a 2-0 lead on the Nets, with Game 3 taking place on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at the Barclays Center.
Simmons has not played in a game since Game 7 of the Sixers’ Eastern Conference Semifinal series against the Atlanta Hawks, a game and series which led to him receiving scrutiny for how he performed. In the aftermath, Simmons made clear he did not want to be a member of the franchise anymore, which led to a lengthy dispute between himself and the Sixers as the team withheld his salary.
