Steve Nash performs down the chance of Ben Simmons’ damage: ‘A slight ache in his again’

Shams Al-Sharaniah of The Athletic reported Saturday night time that Ben Simmons is coping with “again ache” within the technique of rehab. The report did not element any timeline for the 25-year-old star’s return, and it is not clear if Simmons will attain the conditioning requirements wanted for him to be accessible when the Nets journey to Philadelphia on March 10.

Throughout a Friday night time TNT broadcast, Ian Eagle talked about that Simmons was coping with a background problem. Shortly after The Athletic’s report was posted on Twitter, Nets coach Steve Nash confirmed the information however performed down the severity of Simmons’ again downside, calling it a “minor ache in his again” that developed throughout his ramp up.

“I simply noticed the stories. It was the identical course of. It is just a bit sore in his again,” the Nets coach mentioned through the pre-match Saturday night time. “It is not the identical as an damage. As soon as he obtained again into play, his again flared up a bit. He hasn’t performed a recreation since June so that is simply a part of the method of getting him again into play as as you play, he is having a couple of sure issues as if you happen to’re having muscle aches or tightness. He has a little bit tightness.”

In a later story, Charania mentioned the Nets noticed the problem as “regular.”

Sources mentioned the Nets are treating Simmons’ return problem as a every day and a traditional a part of the restoration course of, but it surely stays unclear when the All-Star treble will start. Simmons missed his new group’s first 5 video games because the commerce as a consequence of what the group referred to as a “return to competitors renewal.”

However, Nash revealed that Kevin Durant accomplished his second high-intensity exercise with out incident on Thursday. The Nets coach mentioned Durant and Simmons would want to place collectively a sequence of high-intensity exercises with none subsequent crash in an effort to get again into play. Nash mentioned Thursday that at that time, Simmons had not but begun the method.

Earlier within the week, Nash mentioned the conditioning was the one downside protecting Simmons from taking part in however he did not point out any again issues.

“Conditioning, I ought to simply attempt to get him to a spot the place he can, you realize it was a protracted layoff so he hasn’t performed basketball within the NBA for that lengthy. So simply try to work by means of that.”

In October, whereas at 76ers coaching camp, he complained of decrease again ache, in accordance with stories on the time.

Simmons, in fact, hasn’t performed since June 20 final yr, having held out till he was traded to the Nets on the deadline.