Brooklyn Nets star Ben Simmons may still be making his return to the court in the first round against the Boston Celtics, with Game 4 on Monday being a "realistic target," according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, though the team was quick to tamper those expectations.
At this time, Simmons, who has not played an NBA game since last May, has not been officially ruled out for Game 3 either.
The progress he has made in practices over the last week has spurred optimism that his return could be on the horizon, but Steve Nash, the Nets' head coach, made clear that they were not "targeting any game" for a return and the final decision was still for Simmons to make.
"I think we're trying to see how he develops, how he progresses and that's something that -- with the recent history since the trade -- has not been straightforward," Nash said. "While it's exciting to see him on the floor and see him make progress, I don't think any of us are saying it's imminent.
"We're just gonna sit back and support him and see how far he gets. If he's able to play, that'd be great, but we haven't pencilled in anything or made any conclusions yet. I think he's got a long ways to go before he feels ready to play.
Simmons has most recently been recovering from a herniated disk in his lower back, but his prolonged absence from game action traces back to his time with the Philadelphia 76ers. After requesting a trade from the team, stemming from mental health concerns, Simmons sat out the regular season in a protracted back-and-forth over where he would play that ultimately ended in him being dealt to Brooklyn in a trade deadline blockbuster.
Since joining the Nets, visible strides have been made to suggest Simmons was progressing towards a return this season. He was cleared for contact practice on Monday, which opened the door for him to engage in 4-on-4 work with his teammates.
The next steps, Nash said on Tuesday, will be for him to participate in five-on-five drills while ramping up his conditioning and physicality.
"There's no other way than him to say, 'I'm ready,'" Nash said after Wednesday's shootaround. "Especially after an absence this long. So whenever he is ready, it's going to have to be on him to say, 'I feel comfortable. I feel ready to go.
"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, so I think this is a pretty unique scenario," Nash said. "It's not as linear as maybe the other kind of in-season injuries."
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