Reports continue to suggest that Ben Simmons is hopeful of returning to action at some point against the Boston Celtics, but there are a number of hurdles he has to clear yet.
Simmons has not been cleared for one-on-one work yet, according to Brian Lewis of the New York Post. The Nets will want to see how his injured back performs with that physical contact before even considering a return.
Ben Simmons still has yet to get cleared for contact work. A source close to Simmons: "There’s nothing new there…The next step is to get him cleared for one-on-one stuff, see him bang to see how the back holds up.” #Nets
— Brian Lewis (@NYPost_Lewis) April 16, 2022
Simmons reportedly has a return date in mind, and has roughly two weeks to get ready in order to achieve it. That is theoretically possible, but it is by no means a sure thing. That is even more true when one considers how many setbacks he has had with his back since the Nets acquired him at the trade deadline.
On Saturday, Simmons seemingly tried to send a message with his practice activity. In spite of that, he’s clearly not on the verge of playing yet.
