Subscribe
Follow Us
Ben Simmons won't be making his debut for the Brooklyn Nets in Game 4 of their playoff series with the Boston Celtics.
The Australian playmaker has been officially ruled out for the contest on Monday as he continues to recover from his back ailments. While Simmons was initially expected to suit up for the game, he apparently woke up Sunday with soreness in his back. Due to the situation, he and the Nets decided to keep him out of the lineup, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
ESPN Sources: The Nets and Ben Simmons expected he would be ready to play on Monday, but after getting on the court yesterday Simmons says he awoke with back soreness today. In the end, the team and Simmons agreed he'll remain out for Game 4.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 24, 2022
There were high hopes that Ben Simmons could play for the Nets for the first time against the Celtics and turn the tides in their favor. Brooklyn has been looking for a difference-maker after falling 3-0 to the Beantown team, and many expected that Simmons and his defense would exactly be that.
Article Continues Below
Unfortunately, Simmons won't be that “savior” they need in the face of getting swept.
To be fair, though, that might be too heavy of a burden for Simmons. He hasn't played since the 2021 playoffs and expecting him to immediately make an impact this postseason might just be more than what he can handle.
With that said, it's up to Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving now to keep the Nets' playoff hopes alive. If they win Game 4, who knows, they might get some extra help from Simmons come Game 5.
