NBA News: Nets GM Gives Key Update On Ben Simmons' Condition

Ben Simmons’ Brooklyn Nets debut remains one of the most highly-anticipated events this season.

The Nets pulled off a blockbuster trade deal that saw the team acquiring Simmons from the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for James Harden.

However, the All-Star guard is still yet to make play his first game with Brooklyn due to a prolonged injury.

Providing an update on Simmons’ injury, NBA journalist Malika Andrews of ESPN said she has recently spoken to Nets GM Sean Marks.

According to Andrews, there’s still no target date for Simmons’ Nets debut but he was already “able to start jumpshooting” during team practices.

However, Andrews also noted that as per how Marks “described” the situation, the 25-year-old is still far from nearing his return.

“There’s not a potential date first and foremost,” Andrews said on ESPN’s NBA Today. “But I spoke with Sean Marks, the general manager of the Brooklyn Nets yesterday and he said that Ben Simmons is making some progress, he’s able to start jumpshooting, but he cannot yet run and he cannot sprint. That’s pretty key to getting back on the basketball court.”

“The way it’s been described to me was the progress hasn’t been linear to Ben,” the team executive added. “He’s been dealing with this back issue since right around the trade deadline. He has not had an additional setback. That’s what Sean Marks said. But the progress, it hasn’t been linear.”

Simmons’ terrible post-season run with the Sixers last season prompted him, and the team to agree to part ways after a saga of trade rumors.

One of the most highlighted issues at the time was the point guard’s poor shooting.

Nets head coach Steve Nash is well aware of the said hole in Simmons’ game. However, he stressed that it’s not a major concern.

For Nash, Simmons is a tremendous athlete who can help the Nets win games by doing “all the other things he does” besides shooting.

“Ben does 1,000 things on the basketball court, and shooting is not one that I’m dying to see,” Nash explained last month. “He is an amazing basketball player, and that’s without shooting the ball. So to me, there’s not really a conversation there: If he gets better at shooting, great; but he’s an All-Star basketball player and has incredible potential to affect games with all the other things he does.”

“To be honest with you, [the shooting] is not a huge concern of mine,” the coach continued. “I want him to get out there and be dynamic, athletic, and play-make, and put pressure on the rim and defend, and when you add all those things I just said up, it’s a pretty good player.”