Ben Simmons Has 'No Real Timetable' to Make Nets Debut, According to Sean Marks

The Brooklyn Nets remain unsure when Ben Simmons will make his debut for the team.

General manager Sean Marks said Thursday "there's no real timetable" for Simmons to be cleared for action but that the team is optimistic he's "getting more into the team environment" by the end of next week:

Rich Paul, Simmons' agent, cited mental health as a reason why the three-time All-Star wasn't taking the court for the Philadelphia 76ers amid a protracted standoff. Simmons indicated his trade to the Nets didn't immediately resolve that issue.

Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported he's also experiencing back soreness, with ESPN's Ramona Shelburne (via Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News) reporting he has experienced a setback in the recovery process.

The trouble for Simmons and the Nets is that Brooklyn's last regular-season game is just a little more than a month away on April 10. The 25-year-old is losing valuable time to get acquainted with his new team ahead of the playoffs.

That's to say nothing of the fact he hasn't taken an NBA court since last June.

The best version of Simmons will obviously help the Nets in a big way, but he'll require some meaningful action in order to ramp back into that form.

Marks made the best of a difficult situation by getting Simmons as the cornerstone of a trade package for James Harden. Because Simmons is likely to have a limited impact this season, the deal could be a case of taking one step back now to take two steps forward in the future.