Brooklyn Nets head coach Steve Nash reaffirmed the team’s commitment to Ben Simmons, who has yet to play this season amid a litany of issues, noting that there is still a “mental component” to the all-star forward’s prolonged absence in addition to a physical one.
“I don’t want to overstate my understanding of the situation because I’m not in Ben’s shoes,” Nash said Monday. “So it’s very important for me not to speak for Ben because 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.”
Nash’s public confirmation that there is still a mental-health element to Simmons’ absence came hours after Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported that Nets leadership, Simmons and his agent, Rich Paul, met to discuss the hurdles remaining in his pursuit of a return to play.
Throughout the discussion, the need to “keep addressing the mental side of that process” was made clear, Wojnarowski said, while the Nets emphasized the organization would continue to give the former all-star the resources he needed in both the short- and long-term.
Nash again appeared to confirm this internal stance during his pre-game comments ahead of the Nets’ potentially series-deciding fourth game against the Boston Celtics.
“We’re really pushing to support Ben in any way we can to help him improve physically and get back on the court,” Nash said. “The mental side of that is part and parcel — they’re not separate, they’re not something that we don’t want to deal with.”
Simmons had been ramping up his work with the Nets recently, doing so without pain for the last two weeks after being sidelined with a herniated disc in his lower back. The progress spurred optimism that Simmons may be able to scrimmage with the other Nets starters and return as early as Monday’s Game 4 against the Celtics.
But, on Sunday, Simmons arrived at the team’s practice facility reporting that the back soreness had returned, delaying his return to the court until next season, perhaps, if the flailing Nets cannot find a way to extend their first-round series which they trail 3-0.
The Nets acquired Simmons, the 2017 NBA Rookie of The Year, at the trade deadline in a blockbuster deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, ending his tumultuous run with the franchise.
Simmons requested a trade from Philadelphia last off-season, and did not arrive in Philadelphia until near the end of the pre-season, citing mental health concerns as the reason his participation in team activities had been limited.
“It was just piled up — a bunch of things that have gone on over the years, to where I just knew I wasn’t myself, and I needed to get back into that place of being myself and being happy as a person and taking care of my well-being,” Simmons said during his introductory press conference after the trade. “That was the major thing for me. It wasn’t about the basketball, it wasn’t the money, anything like that. I want to be who I am and get back to playing basketball and being myself.”
Simmons ultimately sat out all of training camp, the pre-season and every regular-season game while disagreeing with the club over the extent to which its doctors should be involved in his mental health process. The team, insisting he was in breach of his contract, withheld nearly $20 million from Simmons, a decision he filed a grievance to challenge.
Simmons has three years remaining on his $114 million deal, underscoring his importance to Brooklyn beyond this series against the Celtics.
“We want to help, if he needs help, in any aspect of his life and his game,” Nash said. “He’s a cornerstone, we want to help him feel great, play great and become a part of this team.”
