The Ben Simmons era in Brooklyn has officially begun, at least in the sense that he's been unveiled officially as a Nets' player, but there's still some work to do before the Australian takes to the court.
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The trade deadline deal saw Brooklyn send James Harden to Philadelphia in exchange for Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and draft picks. Simmons will finally get to play some hoops again after a 54-game holdout in Philadelphia until the trade.
The 6-foot-10 point guard hasn't logged a minute in an NBA game since that infamous Game 7 of the 2021 Eastern Conference Semifinals on June 20, 2021.
Is Ben Simmons playing tonight vs. Knicks?
The short answer is no.
Simmons' prolonged absence from on-court activity means he will need some time to get his conditioning back to NBA level. While away from game action, Simmons continued working on his game but working out with a trainer in a gym is completely different from NBA game speed.
During his introductory press conference on Tuesday, Simmons admitted as much.
"I don't have a date yet, but I'm working towards getting back on the floor," said Simmons. "No date yet, but I'm starting to ramp it up."
Simmons on his timeline for playing again: “I don’t have a date yet — but I’m starting to ramp it up.”
— Nick Friedell (@NickFriedell) February 15, 2022
Nets' head coach Steve Nash admitted there was no firm timetable as to when Simmons could make his Brooklyn debut.
"That's on the performance team," Nash said. "They're going to walk through an assessment and his return to play and ramp-up and all that. It's been a long period of non-NBA activity, so we'll see how they put his program together and how long it takes."
MORE: Nets' Ben Simmons on fit with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving
Simmons told the media that he is hoping to be in uniform for the Nets when they travel to Wells Fargo Center on March 10 for a matchup against the 76ers.
“I hope so”
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) February 15, 2022
-Ben Simmons says he hopes to play in Philly at Wells Fargo Center March 10
He says being mentally ready is an ongoing process pic.twitter.com/HUPT69JwFs
What channel is Nets vs. Knicks on?
- TV channel (national): ESPN
- TV channel (Nets' region): YES Network
- Live stream: NBA League Pass
Apart from being nationally televised on ESPN, the game will be broadcast locally in the Nets' region on the YES Network.
The game can also be found on NBA League Pass outside of the U.S.
Nets vs. Knicks start time
- Date: Wednesday, Feb. 16
- Time: 7:30 p.m. ET | 4:30 p.m. PT
Nets vs. Knicks is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday. The game will tip-off shortly after the scheduled start time.
Nets upcoming schedule
| Date | Opponent | Time (ET) | National TV |
| Feb. 16 | at Knicks | 7:30 p.m | ESPN |
| Feb. 17 | vs. Wizards | 7:30 p.m | - |
| Feb. 24 | vs. Celtics | 7:30 p.m | TNT |
| Feb. 26 | at Bucks | 7:30 p.m | ABC |
| Feb. 28 | vs. Raptors | 7:30 p.m | - |
Knicks upcoming schedule
| Date | Opponent | Time (ET) | National TV |
| Feb. 16 | vs. Nets | 7:30 p.m | ESPN |
| Feb. 25 | vs. Heat | 7:30 p.m | ESPN |
| Feb. 27 | vs. 76ers | 1:00 p.m | ABC |
| Mar. 2 | at 76ers | 7:30 p.m | ESPN |
| Mar. 4 | at Suns | 10:00 p.m | ESPN |
