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Rumors have been swirling that Brooklyn Nets newcomer Ben Simmons could make his debut in the team's playoff first-round series against the Boston Celtics, but Kevin Durant is simply preparing like it was just him and Kyrie Irving leading the way.
“I'm not expecting him to play,” Durant said after Thursday's practice. “That's easier for me. I'm not putting any pressure on Ben to come out there and hoop. So I'm not expecting him to do anything but just to get his body right and get healthy as fast as he can. So in my mind, I'm preparing as if we're playing with the team we have.”
Definitely the right mindset from the Nets star, who clearly believes Brooklyn can advance past the C's sans Simmons. Honestly, it does feel like a bit of a stretch the Aussie could play between games 4 and 6 because he still hasn't even done contact work on the court. Nevertheless, it would be a massive boost for Steve Nash's squad, especially on the defensive end. That's if the 25-year-old is still the same player of the past. We have to remember that Simmons last took the court over eight months ago.
Durant also made sure to point out he won't get ahead of himself in the possibility of Simmons returning.
“I'm not even thinking about that,” Durant said of a potential emotional lift from Simmons' return. “We all know what type of player Ben is. And you can put together scenarios in your mind on your own on what it would look like, but I'm not going to go there because we're just taking it a day at a time.”
The Nets and Celtics kick off their first-round series on Saturday in Beantown. Jayson Tatum and Co. took three out of four from Brooklyn in 2021/22, but KD and Kyrie were only together in one of those games.
