Nets rule Ben Simmons out for season with ongoing back issues

Nets rule Ben Simmons out for season with ongoing back issues،

Tim Bontemps, ESPNMarch 7, 2024, 2:38 p.m.

The Brooklyn Nets announced Thursday morning that Ben Simmons will miss the remainder of the regular season due to ongoing back issues.

“Ben Simmons will remain out for the remainder of the season while he consults with specialists and explores treatment options for the lower back nerve impingement,” the team said in a statement. “Simmons, along with his representatives and the Nets medical staff, are currently in discussions with numerous experts to determine the course of action that will provide him with the best opportunity for sustainable long-term health.”

Simmons has only been able to play 15 games this season due to the injury, an injury that has caused him to miss a streak of 38 consecutive games and has most recently kept him sidelined for the past five games.

Simmons averaged 6.1 points, 7.9 rebounds and 5.7 assists, showing his ability to be a threat on the boards and set up 3-point shooters on the perimeter. But he has virtually refused to shoot outside of the immediate vicinity of the basket and has made just 6 of 15 from the foul line in those 15 games this season.

Simmons, 27, has a $40.3 million contract expiring through the 2024-25 season.

The No. 1 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, Simmons was a three-time All-Star, two-time All-Defensive Team and a third-team All-NBA in 2021 during his five seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers. But after he and the 76ers lost Game 7 of the 2021 Eastern Conference Semifinals at home to the Atlanta Hawks, never regaining the lead after Simmons missed an open layup in the final minutes of the fourth quarter, he finally requested a trade which was.

He sat out the remainder of the following season until Philadelphia could send him to Brooklyn for James Harden. Simmons then ended up not playing for Brooklyn that season due to back issues, then played 42 games last season before his season ended early due to further back issues.

Since being acquired by the Nets in the Harden deal, Simmons will now have played in 57 of a possible 190 games with the franchise.