Simmons finally ready to return

The odds of Ben Simmons returning early next week are looking more and more in the struggling Nets’ favor.

Prior to Saturday night’s 106104 win over the Rockets, head coach Jacque Vaughn announced that everything is on track for Simmons to return as early as Monday night to face the Jazz.

“Yeah, all signs pointing towards the likelihood of him playing next week. So, things went well today,” Vaughn said.

“I saw him. He completed the entire session and a high likelihood of him playing vs. Utah,” he added after watching Simmons complete practice after being out for 2 ¹/₂ months with a lowerback nerve impingement.

“It was great. I feel great,” Simmons said about his short stint with G-League Long Island. “It was good to just be on the floor and get up and down, and play and get some live situational things going for me. So, I’m excited to be back and looking forward to it.”

The Nets will need Simmons, who is often praised for excelling in a fast-paced game, back on the floor as their facilitator as the Nets have a 18-27 mark, having dropped 12 of their prior 16 games.

“We’re definitely excited. It’d be great to have him back,” Nic Claxton said Thursday. “Just having that back and around the group 24/7. Everything he can do, passing, getting us out in transition, we can play faster, rebounding, defending. So we are definitely ready to have him back on the court with us.”

When asked where he can help upon return, Simmons answered, “Everywhere.”

“I just want to have an impact. I want to come in and win games,” he added. “I’m looking forward to just playing my role and helping this team win.”

Simmons believes the recovery from the left back nerve impingement was different than the one he suffered last season.

“I felt I was starting from zero,” he said of last year. “With this one, I at least had a lot of work I had put in prior. So I wasn’t at zero, I felt like I was just dealing with that injury in that area.”