Friday represented progress for Ben Simmons. Not much progress yet, but better than the Nets' replacement team.
For the first time since November, Simmons increased his participation in practices and progressed to working out with coaches. Simmons, who missed his 29th straight game on Friday with a compressed nerve in his left lower back, has no signs of returning yet, but he is starting to gain momentum.
Previously, Simmons was limited to individual training.
“The ability to be on the court with multiple bodies around him, that's where he is and where he's going to grow,” head coach Jacques Vaughn said at Barclays Center, where the Nets defeated the Thunder 124-115. He spoke before breaking it. “So there are some good signs moving forward.”
There are still many steps the 27-year-old needs to take, and he needs to improve to 3-on-3 and 5-on-5 before a return is in sight.
Prior to his departure, Simmons had played in just six games (no games since Nov. 6) and looked like a fast-paced, good defensive player and a long weapon, but the hang-ups that have plagued him thus far (Offensive passivity and inability to shoot) He's been like that throughout his time with the Nets.
He averaged 6.5 points, 10.8 rebounds and 6.7 assists on a Nets team that struggled without him, especially defensively.
It's not the offensive questions that are chasing Simmons the most right now. Simmons has played in 48 of 146 regular season games since being traded to Brooklyn in February 2022, sending James Harden to Philadelphia, but he can be a consistent contributor for the Nets at his back. I wonder if (or any team).
Simmons did not step on the court in 2021-22 due to mental health concerns and a back problem that required surgery.
Simmons was often beat up, but was able to play in 42 games last season before suffering a knee injury in mid-February, followed by back pain and later suffering from a pinched nerve. It turned out that it was due to this, and he was forced to miss the rest of the season.
Simmons said he felt “great” during training camp leading up to this season, but hasn't played in two months since his lower back relapsed.
The 2016 No. 1 overall pick and three-time All-Star is making about $37.9 million this season and is set to make $40.3 million next season, the final year of his contract.
If he can start his career and the Nets can make a comeback, it will likely start Friday.
“We need to continue to see how his strength metrics continue to increase and increase stimulation to him,” Vaughn said. Nothing… nothing was going to stop him from progressing. ”
On Friday, the Nets got a scare — and they hope that's all there is to it — when Cam Johnson sprawled on the floor after an awkward landing after a drive with 27.6 seconds left.
Johnson was ejected from the game and did not play again, but Vaughn believed it was just a spasm in Johnson's hamstring.
Vaughn called this an “initial prognosis” and said he would evaluate Johnson on Saturday.
A day after the NBA fined the Nets $100,000 for “violating the league's player participation rules” by sitting many rotation players during a Dec. 27 game against the Bucks, Bourne pointedly declined to comment.
“I think I'll keep this as a memoir,” Vaughn said when asked for his reaction. “Let's just say we're ready to move on. We own it. It's done, let's go.”
