Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn said Tuesday that Simmons (back, knee) is out for the season but isn't expected to require any surgeries this summer, Nick Friedell of ESPN.com reports. "Ben will not be joining us the rest of the year and through the playoffs," Vaughn said after Tuesday's practice. "After consulting with our doctors, multiple specialists, he's just going to begin a rehab program. Our doctors and the specialists feel and think that he'll have a full recovery so that starts now."
Simmons last played for the Nets in their final game before the All-Star break Feb. 15, with his absence initially being attributed to a sore left knee for which he required a platelet-rich plasma injection. The Nets then announced over the past weekend that Simmons is dealing with a nerve impingement in his back, though the team hasn't revealed whether the issue is related to the disc herniation that he addressed with a surgery last May. Whatever the case, Simmons appears set to avoid another surgery for now, and though the early expectation is that he'll be at full health for training camp in the fall, how he fits in Brooklyn's plans heading into 2023-24 is difficult to pin down. Before being shut down, Simmons was in the midst of the worst season of his career, as he shot just 43.9 percent from the free-throw line and averaged 6.9 points to go with 6.3 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.3 steals in 26.3 minutes over 42 appearances (33 starts). With Mikal Bridges having since emerged as the face of the franchise following the Nets' roster overhaul at the trade deadline, Simmons -- who is under contract through 2024-25 and is owed roughly $78 million -- may be relegated to a supporting role once healthy.
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Nets' Ben Simmons: Done for the year
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Simmons (knee, back) will not play again this season, Brian Lewis of the New York Post reports. According to Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn, "[Simmons] is not going to join us for the rest of the season, in all honesty."
This is unsurprising following the announcement Friday that Simmons is dealing with a nerve impingement in his back. He last played Feb. 15 against the Heat during the Nets' final game before the All-Star break, but he hadn't seen 30 minutes in consecutive games since late November. The 2022-23 campaign was Simmons' worst to date, plagued by injuries and confidence issues resulting in an abysmal 43.9 percent mark from the charity stripe. His final stats stand at 6.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.3 steals in 26.3 minutes per game. It's unclear at this point if the organization even views him as a building block for the future, especially after the high-level production of Mikal Bridges following the trades of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant.
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Nets' Ben Simmons: Diagnosed with nerve impingement
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The Nets announced Friday that Simmons (back) has been diagnosed with a nerve impingement in his back and remains without a timetable for a return while the team determines a long-term treatment course, Chris Haynes of Turner Sports reports.
Simmons last played Feb. 15 -- the Nets' final contest before the All-Star break -- and hasn't seen at least 30 minutes in a game since Jan. 20. Before Friday's report, Simmons already seemed unlikely to make his return to the court, and now it looks like a foregone conclusion that his season is over. That said, the Nets have yet to make such an announcement, so the possibility technically remains that he'll be back. Fantasy managers shouldn't hold their breath, however. If this is the end of his campaign, Simmons will finish his first year in Brooklyn with averages of 6.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.3 steals in what was, by far, the worst season of his career. He also shot a career-worst 43.9 percent from the free-throw line.
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Nets' Ben Simmons: Remains out
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Simmons (knee) has been ruled out for Saturday's game against the Heat.
Simmons recently returned to on-court activities, but it's unclear when he'll be ready for game action. He hasn't played since Feb. 15.
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Nets' Ben Simmons: Remains out Tuesday
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Simmons (knee/back) has been ruled out for Tuesday's game against the Cavaliers, Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News reports.
Simmons hasn't played since Feb. 15. He recently returned to on-court activities but remains without a firm timetable for game action. Simmons' next chance to suit up will come Thursday in a rematch against Cleveland.
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Nets' Ben Simmons: Still sidelined
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Simmons (knee/back) will not play in Sunday's game against the Nuggets, Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News reports.
Simmons will miss his 13th consecutive contest while dealing with injuries to his left knee and back but has been nearing a return after resuming on-court work Thursday. Although he remains without a timetable for return, he will have another opportunity to suit up Tuesday against the Cavaliers.
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Nets' Ben Simmons: Returns to basketball activities
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Coach Jacque Vaughn said Thursday that Simmons (knee, back) has progressed to on-court work, Tim Bontemps of ESPN.com reports.
Simmons has missed the last 11 games due to left knee inflammation and back soreness. While he has already been ruled out Thursday, his return to basketball activities is a good sign he will be available before the regular season ends.
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Nets' Ben Simmons: Won't play against Sacramento
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Simmons (knee) is out for Thursday's game against the Kings, Alex Schiffer of The Athletic reports.
Simmons hasn't played since Feb. 15 due to left knee inflammation. Coach Jacque Vaughn has played a tight rotation lately, leaving Royce O'Neale, Seth Curry and Joe Harris as the de facto beneficiaries of Simmons' absence.
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Nets' Ben Simmons: Still out
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Simmons (knee/back) has been ruled out for Tuesday's matchup against the Thunder.
Simmons is slated to miss an 11th straight game due to knee soreness and inflammation in his back. Following Sunday's win over the Nuggets, Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn said, "[Simmons] is back home in Brooklyn. We'll get a chance to kind of see where he's at when we get back home after this trip." Tuesday's matchup is the final stop of Brooklyn's five-game road trip, so the team should release a more comprehensive update on the point guard within the next few days.
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Nets' Ben Simmons: Missing 10th consecutive game
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Simmons (knee/back) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Nuggets.
Simmons is slated to miss a 10th straight game. He's dealing with knee soreness and inflammation in his back, and the team hasn't released an official timetable for his return. Simmons' next chance to suit up will come Tuesday in Oklahoma City.
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Nets' Ben Simmons: Remains out
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Simmons (knee/back) won't play Friday against Minnesota, Alex Schiffer of The Athletic reports.
Simmons is slated to miss a ninth straight game. He's dealing with knee soreness and inflammation in his back, and the team hasn't released an official timetable for his return. Simmons' next chance to suit up will come Sunday in Denver.
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Nets' Ben Simmons: Still sidelined against Milwaukee
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Simmons (knee/back) has been ruled out for Thursday's game versus the Bucks, Brian Lewis of the New York Post reports.
Simmons is set to miss his eighth straight game Thursday due to knee and back issues. While there is no set timetable for his return, coach Jacque Vaughn hasn't ruled him out for the remainder of the season. Simmons' next opportunity to play is Friday's matchup with Minnesota.
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Nets' Ben Simmons: Remains out
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Simmons (knee/back) has been ruled out for Tuesday's matchup in Houston, Alex Schiffer of The Athletic reports.
Simmons is dealing with knee soreness and inflammation in his back, so it's not surprising to see him ruled out. However, Brooklyn hasn't released an official timetable for his return, so we'll continue to update his status on a game-by-game basis, making Simmons' next chance to suit up Thursday in Milwaukee.
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Nets' Ben Simmons: MRI reveals inflammation
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Head coach Jacque Vaughn said Sunday that an MRI revealed Simmons (knee) has inflammation in his back, Alex Schiffer of The Athletic reports.
Simmons was slated to miss a sixth straight game Sunday versus the Hornets due to knee soreness, but it appears he's also dealing with a back issue. This is certainly a concerning for the oft-injured Simmons, and at this point it wouldn't be surprising if he was sidelined for the rest of the regular season. However, the Nets haven't released an official timetable for his return, with Vaughn saying, "we want [Simmons] back when he's capable of being back for us."
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Nets' Ben Simmons: Out Sunday
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Simmons (knee, back) is out Sunday against the Hornets.
As expected, Simmons will not take the floor Sunday, marking his sixth straight absence. His next chance to take the floor arrives Tuesday at Houston, though it seems unlikely he'll play.
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Nets' Ben Simmons: Also dealing with back soreness
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Simmons (knee) is day-to-day after experiencing back soreness while recovering from his knee injury, Meghan Triplett of GrindCityMedia.com reports.
When asked, coach Jacque Vaughn wasn't sure if Simmons' back pain is in the same area as his previously herniated disc (L-4), which required offseason surgery. The plan going forward is to strengthen Simmons' knee while also managing his back soreness, leaving him day-to-day with no timetable for a return. The team insists there's no talk of shutting him down.
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Nets' Ben Simmons: Still out Friday
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Simmons (knee) won't play Friday against the Celtics, Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News reports.
Simmons will miss a fourth consecutive game due to left knee soreness, and head coach Jacque Vaughn has suggested that the big man is without a firm timetable to return. After Friday's contest, the Nets will host the Hornets on Sunday, but unless Simmons is able to practice in some capacity Saturday, he seems likely to miss that contest as well.
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Nets' Ben Simmons: Ruled out Wednesday
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Simmons (knee) won't play in Wednesday's game versus the Knicks, Alex Schiffer of The Athletic reports.
Simmons has already been ruled out for Tuesday's game versus the Bucks and will now miss both legs of Brooklyn's back-to-back with left knee soreness. The 26-year-old forward's next chance to suit up will be Friday's matchup with Boston. However, Simmons' role within the team began to shrink before missing time to injury, so his fantasy value even when healthy comes into question.
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Nets' Ben Simmons: Won't play Tuesday
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Simmons (knee) has been ruled out for Tuesday's matchup against the Bucks, Chris Milholen of SI.com reports.
Simmons will miss a third straight game to start the second-half schedule after receiving a PRP injection during the All-Star break. He's dealt with knee soreness for much of the season, so the hope is that the procedure and extended time off can remedy the discomfort. However, the former All-Star's workload had dwindled before he was shut down, so even when he's cleared, it's unlikely he garners a major role for the new-look Nets.
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Nets' Ben Simmons: Gets PRP injection, out two games
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Simmons received a platelet-rich plasma injection in his sore left knee and is expected to sit out games Friday in Chicago and Sunday in Atlanta, Brian Lewis of the New York Post reports.
Simmons has dealt with knee soreness for much of the season, and he's apparently experienced enough discomfort coming out of the All-Star break to require the PRP injection. Even with the Nets overhauling their roster ahead of the trade deadline with Kevin Durant heading to Phoenix and Kyrie Irving moving to Dallas, Simmons' workload had been trending down heading into the break, and he hadn't received at least 30 minutes in a game since Jan. 20. In the month since that time, Simmons averaged 4.6 points, 5.3 assists and 3.9 rebounds in 21.6 minutes per contest. While Simmons is out, head coach Jacque Vaughn may hand bigger roles to Cam Thomas and Seth Curry.
