There was some recent momentum for a possible return to the court for Ben Simmons. But on Sunday evening, the Brooklyn Nets released a Game 4 status report ruling the three-time All-Star “out.” Sure enough, that prompted plenty of fans and prominent media members to tee off on Simmons' character.

Earlier on Monday, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski shared a sensitive update that Simmons was still facing both mental and physical hurdles delaying his return. His representation, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, had also met with Nets' GM Sean Marks to discuss the star's health status.

Woj added on an ESPN spot that the Nets have not yet ruled Simmons out for the season.

However, the report further stated there is as much of a mental challenge as there is a physical one precluding him from making his team debut.

Before a monster Game 4, where the Nets will try to stave off elimination, head coach Steve Nash was asked about all the latest reports on his star player who's yet to make his Nets debut:

“I want to be careful,” Nash said. “I don't want to overstate my understanding of the situation because I'm not in Ben's shoes. That's very important for me not to speak for Ben. Cause I can't relate to what he's going through. There is a mental component with everything.”

“I think Ben has addressed that there is a mental component with what he's going through. But how much and where he's at with that is not for me to speak about. But as far as an organization we're really pushing to support Ben in any way we can and to help him improve physically and get back on the court and the mental side of that is part and parcel. That's not, they're not separate, they're not something that we don't want to deal with. We want to help if he needs help in any aspect of his life and his game. He's a cornerstone so we want to help him feel great, play great and become a part of this team.”

So plenty to unpack there. We did not hear much about Ben Simmons' mental health struggles once he arrived in Brooklyn. The pervading sentiment was that he was ready to roll upon being traded and would continue to see a therapist.

But the back issue, sustained in late February was a massive setback. So the question loomed: could he have pushed through this in order to help his team? And was the mental side of things preventing a return if not the back? Would it even be prudent for him to push through an issue of the L-4 vertebra? For example, if he couldn't even fly on airplanes recently because of the back, does it make sense to allow him to go out there and defend Jayson Tatum in a do-or-die game after only six practices and no five-on-five? Dude hasn't even played at all since June of 2021, maybe the entire idea was a bit hasty, no?

It would have been extremely risky. And Kevin Durant of all people can tell us how vital it is to not push to return from an injury. Many people have blamed the Golden State Warriors for not being conservative enough with Durant's calf strain. That ailment, which he played through in the 2019 NBA Finals, may have precipitated his ruptured Achilles which cost him a full season. The Nets do not want anything remotely resembling that drama. Stars never return for must-win games while nursing severe injuries. And they tend not to take much flack for not returning either.

Still, one got the sense the Nets would have allowed Simmons to give things a shot if he felt okay despite not having time to progress through their typically conservative return-to-play protocol. It really felt like he was going to skip a few milestones and give it a go, for better or for worse. Then he was ultimately ruled out. Now, we hear it's a mental health issue, too.

And some fans are even wondering if the Nets organization couldn't have done more to shield their star from some of these criticisms. How are these leaks getting out that the Nets are exasperated with Simmons, how does that stuff help?

Nothing is simple when dealing with mental health struggles and nothing is simple when dealing with spinal injuries, and Ben Simmons is dealing with both at the same time. It makes sense he's not ready to play. It doesn't make sense as much sense why everyone is making fun of him mercilessly for his struggles. Hopefully, he gets the support he needs and can return to play sooner than later.

If the Nets keep winning ball games, maybe that can happen this season. More likely, he'll have a full offseason to address root causes. But as Nash said, they view him as a cornerstone and want to support him.