Tim Bontemps ESPN6:48 PM ET2 Minute Read
The Brooklyn Nets announced Friday night that Ben Simmons has been diagnosed with a nerve injury in his back, raising questions about the former All-Star forward’s possible return this season.
Simmons, who has not played since Brooklyn’s last game before the All-Star Break last month with a combination of left knee and back pain, was diagnosed with the nerve problem in his back after a re-evaluation on Friday, the team said. after missing 15 games in a row.
Before the Nets took on the Sacramento Kings at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn last week, Nets coach Jacque Vaughn insisted there had been “zero” discussions about closing Simmons for the season at the time.
“Definitely working under that belief,” Vaughn said when asked directly if he expects Simmons to play again this season. “There’s zero discussion about him not playing. We expect him to come back, wait for him to come back, watch the last game in Sacramento, it was great to see him and his physicality against each other [Kings All-Star Domantas] Saboni’s last time, so I’m definitely looking forward to seeing that again.”
The 26-year-old was a three-time All-Star, two-time All-Defensive First Team Selection, 2020 All-NBA Third Team Pick and 2018 Rookie of the Year in his four seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers before sitting out all of last season – first, after requesting a trade away from Philadelphia, and then after dealing with injury issues when he was traded to the Nets in the blockbuster deal that sent James Harden to the 76ers in his place.
And while Simmons has returned to the court this season, his performance has waned. He’s jumped off the bench nine times in his 42 games — something he’d never done prior to the first time in his NBA career — and has seen his numbers tumble across the board as, among other things, he tumbled in minutes ( 26.3), points (6.9), rebounds (6.3), assists (6.1) and free throw percentage (43.9).
Simmons has two years left on his contract and will pay him $37.8 million in 2023-24 and $40.3 million in 2024-25.
The Nets have slipped back into the East standings in recent weeks since Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant traded in the days before the deadline. Brooklyn has won 5-10 since the All-Star Break and now sits seventh in the Eastern Conference after the Nets lost their last five straight games — including a heartbreaking last-second home loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night.