Coach Steve Nash wants to try integrating Ben Simmons into the lineup in the heat of the season.

After being traded to the Brooklyn Nets from the Philadelphia Sixers, point guard Ben Simmons has remained benched while he deals with an unspecified back injury. It’s still not clear when the Nets will be able to actually get Simmons on the court, and if his injury persists, they may not be able to do so until the team is already well into the playoffs. If this does happen, however, Nets coach Steve Nash is eager to accept the challenge of a late-stage addition.

Working on the weekend. pic.twitter.com/VSOY7Ivf0e

— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) April 10, 2022

“Another challenge, but one that we’d welcome, clearly,” Nash said on the subject earlier this week. “So we’ll see — if he’s able to play at some point it would be great to incorporate him and to try and learn as we go and see how he can help our team without having much history, or any history, with our group.”

While adding a player to the roster in the middle of the playoffs would be a difficult prospect, Nash believes Simmons is a good enough player to warrant the effort.

Steve Nash says Ben Simmons hasn’t been running full speed and has plenty of benchmarks to clear https://t.co/pFzmXsiCka

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) April 13, 2022

“The bottom line is we’d be adding a substantial talent to our team so we really welcome him,” Nash said. “He fits and he helps in a number of ways. We’re in need of help so we would welcome that challenge of trying to incorporate him in a playoff situation where he has no history with our team. No minutes on the floor with his teammates and see how we can forge that understanding as quickly as possible.”