Nets' Ben Simmons to Miss Significant Time Due to Back Nerve Issue

Former star Ben Simmons encounters a setback in his comeback journey.

© John Jones-USA TODAY Sports

The Ben Simmons reemergence arc appears to have faced its first hurdle early this season as the former star swingman is reportedly set to miss a significant time due to a familiar issue.

As announced by Jacque Vaughn prior to the Brooklyn Nets’ in-season tournament bout against the Orlando Magic, Simmons will be unavailable for at least a week as he was diagnosed with nerve impingement at the lower left side of his back that was causing ongoing discomfort with his left hip.

“Ben was day to day. He was improving,” coach Vaughn said before the Nets’ in-season tournament game against the Orlando Magic. “It got to a point where obviously he wasn’t playing, so we wanted to be extremely thorough, so (he) got an MRI … which showed a left-side impingement.”

Jacque Vaughn on Ben Simmons' latest diagnosis:

“He will be out at least a week. I had been telling you guys that he was day-to-day. I try to give you guys as much as I can, as honest as I can. Ben was day-to-day, he was improving. It got to a point where obviously he wasn’t… pic.twitter.com/3tndAN4jsr

— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) November 14, 2023

Simmons' nagging injury

Since their eventual win against the Magic this Tuesday, Simmons has officially missed the last four games for the Nets due to hip complications. An MRI conducted has revealed that the nerve impingement has been the root cause of his ongoing inactivity.

Simmons sustained the injury when the Nets suffered a 129-125 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Nov. 6.

The play Ben Simmons injured his hip.

“It has started already” is bs when you see him clearly struggling… pic.twitter.com/1RUKkwk5WS

— Jit🤧 (@JitDontMiss) November 9, 2023

For six games played so far this season, Simmons is currently averaging a career-low 6.5 points. Albeit continuing to be passive in his scoring tendencies, the three-time All-Star remains productive in his natural all-around role by tallying a career-best 10.8 boards to go with 6.8 assists.

Not related to last season’s back issue

Back problems have been a primary troubling foe for Simmons’s health, considering that these have shut him down in his last two campaigns for the Nets.

But Vaughn refused to connect Simmons’ latest back injury to its last year’s complication, limiting him to just 42 games of action for the franchise.

“Totally different side than last year,” Vaughn said. “I’m not in a position to speculate if there’s any correlation.”

Ben Simmons is thriving as the Brooklyn Nets’ primary playmaker