Sources: Ben Simmons to start practicing with Brooklyn Nets after battling back injury

After running and shooting without back pain for over a week, Brooklyn Nets star Ben Simmons is expected to take the next step on the floor in the coming week and begin practicing against teammates on the court, sources told ESPN on Saturday.

His continued progress is fostering hope that Simmons could make his season debut sometime later in Brooklyn's opening round playoff series against the Boston Celtics, sources said. The Nets and Celtics meet for Game 1 on Sunday in Boston.

So far, Simmons has been limited to 1-on-0 workouts, but that's on track to change and the Nets remain hopeful that they can get something out of Simmons in this series, even if it's just 10-to-15 minutes a game,…