Ben Simmons never made it back to the lineup in time to save the Brooklyn Nets' season. But it doesn't sound as if Kyrie Irving isn't holding anything against his teammate.

After the Nets were swept by the Boston Celtics at Barclays Center, many fans said goodbye to a season ripe with “what ifs.” Irving, for his part, had a chance to reflect on a complicated season for him.

One of the biggest what ifs was the Nets' blockbuster trade shipping out James Harden and bringing in Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and a pair of first round picks. Simmons was apparently targeting a Game 4 return, but he reportedly experienced a flare up of the back issue which kept him out of game action ever since the trade. He only had  a few days of practicing pain free. He was ruled out Sunday evening and wasn't seen court side for the final game of the year.

After the final heartbreaking game, Irving showed nothing but support for his frustrated teammate.

“We lost a franchise player,” Irving said, clearly referencing James Harden, “and we got a franchise player back but we didn't get chance to see [Ben Simmons] on the floor. There was no pressure for him to step on the floor with us either. Ben's good, we have Ben, we have his back he's gonna be good for next year. But now we just turn the page and look forward to what we're building.”

That's good to hear. There was some question about whether or not the Nets were frustrated with Ben Simmons for not playing. ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported the Nets sounded “exasperated” when the Australian playmaker shared with them his back soreness following Sunday's practice. But was that Irving or Durant? Did they feel he should have played through his ailment? Were they disappointed in him? It sounds like Kyrie Irving knew fans were wondering exactly that so he cleared the air for his teammate.

Irving didn't expect Simmons to play (Durant said he wasn't banking on Simmons returning at one point also) and isn't joining in on all of the ridiculous pundits mocking Simmons for mental health struggles or diminishing his physical injuries because they don't believe him. As Irving says, they have his back.

The truth is Simmons would have been rushing back. Perhaps even dangerously so. He hasn't played any NBA action since June 20, 2021. Just a few weeks ago he wasn't even well enough to fly with the team because plane chairs caused tightness. So if he suited up for a high-intensity, high-pressure game with only one week of practice under his belt–following a herniated disc issue that has plagued him over a couple seasons now–there might have been all kinds of concern from the front office. But alas, it never played out that way.

Irving is using the “haters” rhetoric as fuel for next season. Perhaps Simmons is, too.