BOSTON — Steve Nash pushed again on an ESPN report suggesting Ben Simmons focused Game 4 in opposition to the Celtics to make his Nets debut.
“That’s news to me,” the Nets head coach stated pregame Wednesday. “I don’t assume we’re focusing on any recreation. I believe we’re making an attempt to see how he develops, how he progresses, and that is one thing that for the reason that latest historical past with the commerce has not been simple.
“While it’s exciting to see him on the floor and to see him make progress, I don’t think any of us are saying (his return is) imminent,” Nash continued. “I think we’re gonna sit back and support him and see how far he gets, and if he’s able to play, that’d be great, but we haven’t penciled in anything, we haven’t made any conclusions yet. I think he’s got a long ways to go before he feels ready to play.”
Nash’s feedback got here shortly after ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Simmons is anticipated to additional speed up his ramp-up within the coming days, making Game 4 at Barclays Center in opposition to the Celtics “a realistic target for his Nets debut.”
The feedback additionally got here after Nash stated at shootaround that it’ll largely be Simmons’ name whether or not or not he performs in a recreation within the first spherical.
“There’s no other way than him to say, ‘I’m ready,’ especially after an absence this long,” Nash stated at TD Garden. “So whenever he is ready, it’s gonna have to be on him to say, ‘I feel comfortable,’ ‘I feel ready to go,’ ‘I want to play,’ ‘I want to contribute.’ We can’t push him places when you have been out this long. It’s gotta be something where he’s definitely comfortable and ready to play.”
Nash added that it will likely be “a collective decision” together with the crew’s efficiency workers, however in the end, Simmons will name his personal shot.
“This has been a prolonged absence,” he stated. “So I think it’s more about they (Simmons and the performance staff) are in this together trying to find a resolution, a time for him to come back where he is safe to play and well enough to contribute.”
Simmons has continued to make progress after receiving an epidural in mid-March to alleviate the ache related to a herniated disk in his decrease again. This week, Nash stated, the 25-year-old All-Star ahead practiced in a four-on-four setting with contact for the primary time since injuring his again. As Nash spoke, Simmons walked previous the small pool of reporters gathered for Nets’ shootaround availability onto the TD Garden courtroom.
“Ben’s doing well,” Nash stated. “He’s gonna work out again today, see if he continues to improve, so he’s still progressing and moving forward.”
Simmons participated within the four-on-four on Monday then a five-on-zero walkthrough on Tuesday that Nash outlined as “scripting.” Nash stated the scripting is essential in order that Simmons is aware of what actions the crew is making an attempt to run if he does make his debut, however hedged that thought course of with the changes that are available playoff basketball.
“If he’s able to play at some point, having him kind of become as familiar as possible with what we’re doing, because things change from day-to-day,” he stated. “You’re making adjustments, so having him be involved with all of that stuff, so if he is able to play at some point, he’s comfortable.”
Simmons’ sheer presence in observe and shootaround has caught the attention of a few of his teammates.
“Yeah, he’s coming along pretty good,” Nic Claxton stated at shootaround on Wednesday. “He definitely has a real good swagger about himself right now. So, you know, I think the whole world is ready to see him back out there and he can definitely help us out in a lot of ways.”
Some teammates, nevertheless, nonetheless stay at midnight.
“I haven’t seen much,” stated Seth Curry, Simmons’ former teammate in Philadelphia. “I haven’t been following him around. [I’m] locked into what we’re doing. Whatever he’s doing, I haven’t really been in the gym to see it. I haven’t seen much.”
It stays unclear whether or not Simmons has progressed sufficient to play in Game 3 at Barclays Center on Saturday. Nash didn’t rule Simmons out for the Nets’ first residence playoff recreation but additionally stated the crew is perhaps cautious given how lengthy the star ahead has gone since taking part in an NBA recreation.
“I wouldn’t be able to say anything about that because I’m not even sure how he’s gonna get through these weeks,” he stated after Tuesday’s observe at Harvard. “We have to also consider it’s a nine-month absence, or whatever it is, so it’s not just like he had a six-week absence. I think it’s a pretty unique scenario and it’s not as linear as the other in-season injuries.”
Simmons final performed for the Philadelphia 76ers in opposition to the Atlanta Hawks within the Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals on June 20. He cited psychological well being points as his purpose for not taking part in a recreation or absolutely collaborating in Sixers coaching camp this season earlier than arriving in Brooklyn by way of the Feb. 10 James Harden deal.
Simmons didn’t play when he arrived in Brooklyn as a result of he wanted to ramp up his conditioning. He injured his again throughout that ramp-up.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com