Kevin Durant and Ben Simmons are still not ready to return to the court, says Nets coach Steve Nash.
Durant, who is dealing with a sprained MCL, hasn’t played since Jan. 15 when he suffered the injury. Simmons last took the court on June 20 during the NBA Playoffs last season. He has not made his first official start of the 2021-22 season, either previously for the 76ers or now for the Nets.
Nash spoke with Forbes’s Adam Zagoria about when fans should expect the two players back on the court. It’s looking like Durant will be back sooner than Simmons, as of now.
“I’m sure it’s possible [Durant plays Saturday] but for me it’s probably in the next three games more likely than Saturday,” Nash said.
Additionally, Nash would like Durant and Simmons to participate in multiple “high-intensity workouts” before they return to the court. Nash said Durant has done one of these workouts, but they aren’t rushing him. The team is looking more for the long-term benefits Durant can bring down the road, like in the playoffs.
“I would say he’s had one,” Nash said. “He seems like he’s getting there and we’ll see how he responds tomorrow and then we’ll see about subsequent workouts.”
Simmons has yet to participate in any of these workouts, Nash says. Right now, Simmons’s official inactive status is because of “return to competition reconditioning.”
In regards to his mental health, though, Nash would not speak on the matter.
“I think it’s unfair for me to talk about Ben’s head space,” Nash said. “All I can say is we’re excited to have him. Getting him back to activity after such a long layoff where he wasn’t around a group, this is a period we really want to access.”
