Ben Simmons Ruled Out For Regular Season, Play-In Tournament

Brooklyn Nets guard Ben Simmons has been ruled out for the remainder of the team's regular season, and any possible play-in games, Nets Head Coach Steve Nash announced this morning. Simmons has yet to play this season since due to a herniated disc in his lower back. Although Nash only mentioned the play-in game, there is nothing pointing towards the idea that Simmons could be back for the first round of playoffs, as his rehab has been very stagnant and unclear.

After a falling-out with the 76ers this past year that saw Simmons go as far as losing $19 million in fines for not showing up to practices and games, the 76ers finally decided it was time to move on from the former 1st overall pick and 3x All-Star, trading him to Brooklyn in a blockbuster trade for James Harden in February. In the aftermath of the trade, initial reports suggested Simmons was "close to returning" even stating he was at one point day-to-day, however that has clearly been dismissed at this point. Following an epidural in late March to alleviate soreness, there was some hope he could be nearing a return, but that will have to continue to wait.

Simmons has been present and "doing more" in practice, but Nash touched on this and described it as light shooting.

Steve Nash on Ben Simmons: “He’s doing some light shooting. He’s on the court a little bit the past couple of days. Nothing dynamic yet. He’s not even moving around a lot. Just some light shooting.”
— Chris Milholen (@CMilholenSB) April 2, 2022

With just 5 games remaining in the regular season for Brooklyn, the addition of Simmons come playoffs could be massive. Despite both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving now back in the lineup full-time, the team's lack of depth and defense has plagued them somewhat, both factors that Simmons could boost immensely. Assuming they make it past the play-in tournament, it will surely be extremely interesting to see how much noise this under-achieving team can make when fully healthy. Even without Simmons, many believe the Nets are capable of taking down one of the higher-seeded Eastern Conference teams that they will face. The addition of a 3x-All Star and 2x-All Defensive player in Simmons could be more than enough to lead them as far as the finals.