Brooklyn Nets' Kevin Durant preparing to face Boston Celtics without Ben Simmons

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As the speculation surrounding Ben Simmons continues to be a talking point inside the NBA, Nets star Kevin Durant admitted Thursday that he is preparing as if Simmons won't return.

I am not expecting him to play. I am not putting any pressure on Ben to play basketball. I am not expecting him to do anything other than to get his body right and get healthy as quickly as possible. In my mind, I am preparing as if we are playing with the team we have.

After requesting a trade from the 76ers last season, Simmons has not played in an NBA game in almost a year, due to mental health concerns. Simmons has not been cleared to participate in a practice since he came to Brooklyn because of back pain. Nets coach Steve Nash said Thursday that Simmons still isn't doing any basketball conditioning and continues to do individual rehabilitation work.

Nash said it was up to Ben's back and how we could help. There is a chance that Ben will not come back. We have time to support Ben and his journey to get back on the floor, but at the same time we have time to focus on the group that is playing.

Ben is a franchise cornerstone, but right now it is about supporting him physically and mentally to get back on the floor and coaching the group to put its best foot forward in the first few games of the series. We are not saying that Ben is coming back in this series.

For his part, Durant said he wouldn&t allow himself to think about whether Simmons will return in the playoffs.

I am not thinking about that, I know what type of player Ben is. You can put together scenarios on your own, but I am not going to go there because we are just taking it a day at a time.

Nash said recently that he would have no problem with Simmons making his Nets debut in a playoff game, even though he hadn't played in almost a year. Nash said that he was confident in that scenario because it had been so long since Simmons played in an NBA game.

If he was healthy, we would have to give him a chance.

Veteran point guard Goran Dragic said Thursday that Simmons debut would provide a lift to a Nets group that has dealt with injuries and a variety of issues all season.

He feels good because he gets one extra body. He can change it from 1 through 5. He is a great defender. He can push the pace, he is a great passer, so it is another kind of facilitator.

You get a big body for offensive and defensive rebound when KD and Ben are out. That is a big lineup.

Nash said that he has thought about the possibility of having Simmons in the lineup but not tomorrow.

When we made the trade, everyone imagined how Ben could fit into our group. I am not expecting him to come back at any moment. It will be great when he is ready to come back. We have to make sure that we give ourselves a chance to compete even without him.