Australian Ben Simmons will make his return to Philadelphia when the Nets clash with the 76ers on Friday, but won’t take part in the match.
Simmons, who last month was traded to Brooklyn after a lengthy standoff with his former side, has remained out of action due to back soreness.
The three-time NBA All-Star is yet to play a game this season.
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Respected NBA insider Shams Charania revealed Simmons will be on the sideline with his teammate at Philadelphia’s home arena, Wells Fargo Center.
It will be the first time Simmons will be on the sidelines and in view of those in attendance at the Wells Fargo Center after he refused to be with his former 76ers teammates on game day during his tenure earlier in the season.
“Ben Simmons will not play in Friday’s Nets-76ers game, but sources tell me the three-time All-Star is expected to make the return trip to Philadelphia and be on the bench with his team inside Wells Fargo Center,” Charania said.
“I’m told there is optimism about a return to action later this month.”
The 76ers fanbase is widely considered as one of the more vocal and passionate fan bases in the competition, and it’s likely Simmons will be fending off plenty of chatter as he watches on.
In another report, fellow NBA reporter Adrian Wojnarowski said Simmons’ return to the court was just around the corner, with the Australian on the verge of ramping up his training.
“After the game in Philly, Simmons, at that point, will be ready to start getting on the floor with his teammates and increasing his workload, getting closer to returning,” Wojnarowski said on ESPN.
Given the soft approach the Nets are taking with Simmons’ return to basketball after nearly a year on the shelf, it’s unlikely that they would have subjected him to such a hostile environment even if he were fit.
“That back problem has been an issue for him since he started ramping up,” Wojnarowski said.
“He’s essentially really just done individual work at their facility and they’re hoping by the end of this week, he’ll be able to do more.”
Simmons joins fellow Australian Patty Mills at the Nets, who said Simmons would make an instant impact once he does debut.
“He’s going to be a threat either way,” Mills told reporters after practice yesterday.
“On ball, off ball — whether he’s handling the ball, whether he’s off the ball as a screener, I think he’s such a threat that he’s going to draw a lot of attention. So I think given his IQ and the way he can pass the ball and handle the ball, that makes us better at his bare minimum.”
Nets general manager Sean Marks said last week that Simmons was not going to play in the immediate future, but could possibly take the court later this month.
Marks said Simmons would get “more into the team environment and then we can really ramp up and start him getting into game shape and so forth”.
It’s been a tough season for Brooklyn, who came into the year as one of the favourites to win it all – but sit with a losing record after 65 games following their loss to the Celtics today, and likely facing the prospect of the play-in tournament should they want to go deep in the post-season.