Ben Simmons, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving all questions for Nets

By Yaron Weitzman
FOX Sports NBA Writer

Let’s start with this: I’m one of those people who believes the Brooklyn Nets are better with Ben Simmons, Seth Curry and Andre Drummond than they were with James Harden.

Having said that, the Nets are in a precarious position as we enter the NBA All-Star break. It’s not just that they’re a disappointing 31-27. It’s not even that they’re 3.5 games out of the Eastern Conference’s fifth seed. It’s that they’re only 4.5 games ahead of the 11th-place Washington Wizards.

In other words: The Nets have an important and tough two months ahead. With that in mind, here are five questions whose answers will determine how far the Nets are able to go and if they’re able to fulfill their preseason championship-or-bust expectations.

1. Will Ben Simmons be ready for the playoffs?

Simmons hasn’t played since last year’s playoffs. He was working out and playing pick-up, but there’s a difference between that and being in game shape, and there’s a difference between being in game shape and being in playoff basketball shape.

Combine all that with the fact that Simmons’ agent, Rich Paul, told The Athletic in November that Simmons has been dealing with "mental health issues," and it’s fair to wonder when Simmons will be able to return and what he’ll look like when he does, especially on the free-throw line.

"I think he’s in a pretty good state mentally," Nets coach Steve Nash said this week. "If we work with him in conjunction to 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."

Both Nash and Simmons have said this week that there’s no specific timetable for Simmons’ return. That said, it was promising to hear Simmons say during his introductory news conference that he hoped to be ready for the Nets’ March 10 matchup against the Sixers in Philadelphia.

The problem is the Nets have only 24 regular-season games left on their schedule. Not only is that a short ramp-up period, but it also means that as soon as Simmons returns, he’s most likely going to be thrust into high-leverage situations.

2. How will Simmons handle being a third option?

Being a point guard has always been important to Simmons. That’s one of the reasons the Sixers didn’t bring back Jimmy Butler in 2019. Simmons made clear to management that he wasn’t happy with the way coach Brett Brown handed Butler the keys to the offense during the previous season’s playoff run (you can read more about this here).

Simmons considers himself a point guard. He has always wanted the ball in his hands, always wanted to be at the center of the offense. It’s one of the reasons he wanted to leave Philadelphia. He believed the structure of the offense was holding him back.

Well, now Simmons is joining a team with which he’s going to be the third option, and the point guard slot (at least when the Nets are on the road — more on that in a bit) is already filled.

So far, Simmons is saying everything you’d expect.

"I think it's going to be scary," he said of playing alongside Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. "Having those guys running alongside me, multiple different weapons on the floor. And I think at the pace we want to play at, it's going to be unreal."

Which, again, is what you’d expect him to say. And Simmons does seem genuinely happy to be with the Nets. But this is the honeymoon period. What happens if he returns to the court and spends the majority of his time in the dunker spot?

It’s something worth monitoring.

3. Kyrie? (That’s the entire question.)

You know the deal here. Kyrie Irving can’t play in New York City (or at Golden State or Toronto) because he refuses to receive a vaccine for COVID-19. Assuming those mandates remain, that will prevent him from playing in 16 of the Nets’ final 24 games.

The good news for the Nets — from a purely basketball perspective — is that there appears to be some momentum building for a reversal of the mandate. This started Wednesday, when NBA commissioner Adam Silver went on ESPN and said that he believed New York City "should take a look at" its vaccine mandate.

"The oddity of it to me is that it only applies to home players," he added.

Later that day, New York City mayor Eric Adams was asked whether he’d consider changing the rules.

"First of all, I think the rule’s unfair," Adams said. "I believe that we are saying to out-of-town athletes that they can come in and not be vaccinated, yet New York athletes do have to be vaccinated."

Of course, Irving would be a question even if the vaccine mandate were dropped. If there’s anything we’ve learned about the NBA over the past few years, it’s that Irving being available is not something that can be counted on. But with Harden gone, the Nets need him more than ever.

4. When will Kevin Durant return?

Durant has missed the Nets’ past 15 games due to a sprained MCL in his left knee. When can we expect him back?

"We want to be really careful and safe with Kevin," Nash said Wednesday. "A setback would be tough when we only have, whatever it is, 20 or so games left. We don’t want to jeopardize it or have a setback where he misses another six to 10 or 12 games in the 20. So I think [we] would be cautious coming out of the break."

In the meantime, I pose this question: What would you set the over/under at for the number of games that Durant, Irving and Simmons play together before the playoffs? I’d say five — and I’m taking the under.

5. Can Seth Curry cook in the playoffs?

Nets guard Joe Harris is not just a good shooter; he’s a great shooter. He led the league last season by connecting on 47.5% of his 3-pointers. When he’s on the floor alongside Durant and Irving, the Nets are impossible to guard. 

The problem is that Harris has barely been on the floor this season.

He has been out since late November due to an ankle issue. He has had multiple setbacks in the months since. It’s unclear when — or if — he’ll return this season.

"We hope that he comes back, but we have no idea where this is gonna go at this point," Nash said. 

Which leads us to Curry, who, like Harris, is an elite shooter. Curry is the sort of shooter who not only can knock down contested triples but also whose mere presence terrifies defenses and loosens up the floor.

But there’s one big difference between Curry and Harris: Harris is 6-foot-6, while Curry is 6-foot-2. That makes Curry a liability on defense, one opponents eagerly hunt. The Atlanta Hawks did this last postseason, and you can be sure other teams will follow the same playbook. 

Whether Curry and the Nets can figure out a way to overcome this, so that he and his smooth stroke can remain on the floor, is one of those smaller questions that could have a major impact on the Nets’ season.

Yaron Weitzman is an NBA writer for FOX Sports and the author of "Tanking to the Top: The Philadelphia 76ers and the Most Audacious Process in the History of Professional Sports." Follow him on Twitter @YaronWeitzman.