BOSTON — Nets star forward Ben Simmons participated in four-on-four drills on Monday and five-on-zero “scripting, running through the plays” on Tuesday with no setback to the lower back injury that has restricted him from making his Nets debut, head coach Steve Nash said after Tuesday’s practice at Harvard.
“Yesterday was his first day of contact,” Nash said at the Lavietes Pavilion. “He played with some teammates yesterday and he’s making progress, but there’s no real update. We’ll just see how he responds and see if he’s able to do more contact tomorrow.”
Asked how Simmons’ back responded to the contact, Nash said: “So far, so good. He managed yesterday’s activity well. … He felt fine today.”
Nets star Kevin Durant categorized Simmons’ work on Tuesday as “just a walkthrough.”
“I didn’t really see him explode or play against anybody,” Durant said after practice. “I’ve been hearing good reports.”
Durant also said he didn’t hear about any setbacks regarding Simmons’ back on Tuesday.
“That’s pretty much what I’m looking for when somebody on our team goes through anything or they’re playing in the stay-ready group, pre-practice groups if anybody’s got injured,” he said. “So I haven’t heard anything, so he’s probably progressing pretty well. So we’ll see.”
Nash said Simmons will likely do another four-on-four during Friday’s upcoming practice back in Brooklyn at the HSS Training Facility in Sunset Park, but the Nets coach said “he’s probably not” going to do five-on-five on Friday because the Nets “don’t have 10 guys” for him to practice with in the stay-ready group.
“It’s really trying to put him in an environment where he can start to build up, see if he can take contact, see if he can run the floor, make cuts, rebound, defend,” Nash said. “All those things he’s gotta have time on the floor to do to see if he can physically adapt and that process is just beginning.”
Simmons remains out for Game 2, but when asked about the possibility the 25-year-old Australian forward plays in Game 3, Nash did not rule him out completely.
“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 said. “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 spent the end of Tuesday’s practice working with vaunted NBA sharpshooter-turned-Nets player development coach Kyle Korver. Simmons made a series of off-the-dribble and turn-around jump shots and worked with Korver individually.
Simmons is a two-time All-Star who has ranked in the top 20 in assists, field-goal percentage, steals and rebounds over the course of his four-year career. He cited mental health issues while holding out of the front half of his season in Philadelphia, then arrived in Brooklyn via the Feb. 10 James Harden trade. Simmons has yet to make his debut after suffering a herniated disk while ramping up his conditioning after the trade. He received an epidural to alleviate the pain in his lower back on March 13.
