Ben Simmons' season debut with Nets reportedly delayed by back soreness

The James Harden-Ben Simmons trade went through on Feb. 10. It took 15 days for Harden to make his debut with the Philadelphia 76ers, but it's taking even longer for Simmons to arrive for the Brooklyn Nets.

Now, we have a new reason for the delay.

According to The Athletic's Shams Charania, Simmons has been dealing with back soreness as he goes through his reconditioning process, which reportedly means he has to further strengthen the area before he's ready for NBA game action. It's reportedly believed the soreness began as he was ramping up in the last two weeks.

The Nets are reportedly treating the back issue as day-to-day and a normal part of the recovery process, but there is no timetable for his return. Before this, they had listed Simmons as out due to “return to competition reconditioning.”

The issue is apparently serious enough that Simmons' availability for the Nets' game against the Philadelphia 76ers, in which he figured to be the most jeered athlete on the planet, is now in doubt.

Nets still waiting on Ben Simmons

Simmons was never expected to immediately start suiting up for the Nets after the trade considering he hadn't played a game all season, but now it looks like it could take him a month to return the court.

Simmons first reported for a shoot-around in Brooklyn on Feb. 14, but not much has happened since. He's also hardly the only ball in the air for the Nets, who still have Kevin Durant out with a sprained MCL and a point guard who can't play home games, though change could be coming to both fronts soon.

Whenever Simmons does make his Nets debut, he figures to add an interesting wrinkle to the Nets' current roster. The Nets have no shortage of scorers or shooters, so they will gladly take on a player known for prioritizing facilitation on offense to an infamous degree, especially when he is an All-NBA defender who can help shore up a defense that ranks 20th in the NBA in defensive rating.

In theory, Simmons and the Nets are a perfect fit, but Simmons' career has basically been defined by results lagging behind theory. Simmons has not played a serious NBA game since the Eastern Conference semifinals in June 2021 and so much has happened since then.