Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
Ben Simmons Expected to Make Season Debut in Game 4, a Return that May Benefit the Celtics More than the Nets
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, three-time All-Star, Ben Simmons is on track to make his season debut in Game 4.
Before the Celtics' first-round series against the Nets got underway, Game 4, which is on Monday, was established as a realistic return date for Simmons. Since then, that possibility has become increasingly likely.
The Nets, down 2-0, will happily welcome Simmons into the fold, knowing his presence could swing the series. However, depending on what's asked of him, he may prove a net negative.
Missing a year's worth of basketball and jumping into the middle of a playoff series tampers expectation's for a player's potential impact, no matter who they are. Making matters even more difficult is that the only one of his new teammates Simmons has played with is Seth Curry. That lack of continuity and cohesion creates another obstacle to overcome on both ends of the court.
We also don't know how well Simmons will move when he has to operate at full speed or how much of a workload he can handle. When Brooklyn puts him on Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown, those two need to take that personally and look at Simmons as lunch meat. They may even view him as a defender they want to target, just as it's possible Simmons performs in the proximity of the All-NBA-caliber defender he was before his hiatus.
There's also an unknown that stems from the last time Simmons participated in games at the highest level. When Simmons returns, it'll be the first time since the infamous ending to his Sixers tenure. In the fourth quarter of the last four games of Philadelphia's second-round series against the Hawks, he did not attempt a field goal, including passing up a layup in the waning stages of Game 7's loss.
Perhaps Simmons is better equipped to handle pressure situations like that scenario than last year. In any case, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving will be just fine with him not shooting. But if he's playing during crunch time, how will he handle Ime Udoka sending him to the foul line? From a Nets perspective, that gets even more concerning if it happens in Boston.
And Boston's stalwarts, Tatum, Brown, and Marcus Smart, are very familiar with the Sixers' version of Simmons, including going through a playoff series against him. However, playing alongside two of the greatest scorers in NBA history, the Brooklyn version of Simmons won't be a carbon copy of who he was offensively in Philadelphia.
There's more clarity about when Simmons will return, but until he takes the court, the answers to the more impactful questions remain a mystery.
Further Reading
Marcus Smart Becomes First Guard Since Gary Payton in 1996 to Win NBA Defensive Player of the Year
