Brooklyn Nets coach Steve Nash says Ben Simmons in 'good place mentally,' return still unclear

NEW YORK — While it remains unclear exactly when Ben Simmons will return to the floor and join the Brooklyn Nets, the 25-year-old swingman is in a «good place mentally,» according to Nets coach Steve Nash, as he makes his way back after being away from the game for over nine months.

Simmons, who was acquired from the Philadelphia 76ers in a deal centered around James Harden, has not played an NBA game since May after requesting a trade out of Philadelphia — citing his mental health as the primary reason.

«I think he's in a pretty good place mentally,» Nash said prior to Monday's game against the Sacramento Kings. «And if we work with him here, in conjunction with his physical ramp-up, to make sure he's comfortable on and off the floor, I think he'll be ready to play mentally when he's physically ready.»

Nash said there is still no firm timeline regarding when Simmons returns to the floor. The former All-Star joined his new teammates for Monday's shootaround, but Nash said Simmons was only taking some physical assessment tests so that the staff could see where he was starting from with the Nets.

«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.»

Nash said the final call on when Simmons plays would be a «joint decision» between Simmons and the Nets' staff.

«We have to put him in a position to have the necessary conditioning underneath him and to feel safe with it,» Nash said. «And then he also has to feel confident and comfortable that the time has come. So whenever that is, hopefully there's a great partnership on those