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Could Ben Simmons return for Game 4 in Round 1 playoff series against the Boston Celtics?

Should the Nets get their star point guard on the court for the first time, it will go a long way towards seeing them past the Celtics.

Paul Rudder
Update:
Could Ben Simmons return for Game 4 in Round 1 playoff series against the Boston Celtics?

With the Nets now heading for a first round clash with the Celtics, news that their star point guard could make his debut in the series can only be good.

Could Ben Simmons return against the Boston Celtics?

Though it seems incredible, Brooklyn Nets point guard Ben Simmons has still not played in a single game this season, however, that could all be about to change. According to reports, the All-Defensive guard hopes to return for Game 4 of Brooklyn’s first-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics. While Simmons has yet to participate in 5-on-5 in practice, things are apparently looking up. As has been well documented, Simmons has been struggling with a back injury since his blockbuster trade from the Philadelphia 76ers. The road to recovery has been long, but in recent weeks it’s understood that he was increasing the workload for both his back and legs. Assuming Simmons can clear the final health hurdles that have been set for him, expect the Nets to receive a boost come playoff time.

Nets’ Steve Nash discusses chance of Ben Simmons return

On Thursday the Nets’ head coach Steve Nash spoke directly about how Simmons was doing and the possibility of him returning. “It’s up to Ben’s back. It’s not up to me or any of us other than his back. And how we can help that resolve, great. But, you know, there’s a chance Ben comes back; there’s a chance he doesn’t come back,” Nash said. “So I think for us, we gotta focus on the group, support Ben in 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. Nash continued, “And Ben’s a franchise cornerstone, but right now it’s about supporting him physically and mentally to get back on the floor and coaching the group to put its best foot forward in the first few games of the series at least. But there’s no — internally we’re not sitting here saying, ‘Ben’s returning in this series.’ We’ll see what happens.”

The Story of Ben Simmons

It was just a few months ago, when Simmons became the focal point of perhaps the biggest preseason story, after he demanded a trade from the Sixers following an embarrassing postseason loss to the Atlanta Hawks almost a year ago. Simmons at the time was heavily criticized by fans who felt that the Australian bore the brunt of the responsibility for the team’s exit. In the end his ‘request’ was granted and in exchange for James Harden on deadline day, off he went to his new team in Brooklyn. Yet that was the last we saw of the talented point guard. Due to the aforementioned back injury, Simmons has still not taken to the court for his new team and was even administered an epidural recently to alleviate the pain.

What can we expect of Ben Simmons if he faces the Celtics?

Should Simmons return during the Nets’ series with the Celtics, the question on everybody’s mind will understandably be just how much can he contribute having not played since June last year. Indeed, if anything it will first be a matter of him finding rhythm and cohesion as he attempts to gel with his new teammates. On the other hand, if he is able to give even a percentage of the All-Defensive type of performance that put him on Brooklyn’s radar in the first place, then expect the likes of of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown of the Celtics to have much less freedom.

“We all know what type of player Ben is,” Nets star Kevin Durant said on Thursday. “You can put together scenarios in your mind on your own on what it would look like, but I’m not going to go there because we’re just taking it a game at a time.”

Ben Simmons is great on defense, but can he score?

When the Sixers crashed out of the playoffs a year ago against the Hawks, one of the major critiques leveled by fans against Simmons - there were many - was the fact that for all his defensive prowess, the Australian point guard simply didn’t put enough points on the board. At this point while it’s not official that he will return in Game 4 against the Celtics, what is certain is that whenever he does take the court again, there will be intense focus on whether or not he has improved the offensive side of his game. Whatever the case, if the Nets get there ‘franchise conerstone’ back for the playoffs, expect fireworks.