Nets' Ben Simmons Has Inflammation in Back Injury; Strength Rehab Hasn't Helped

Ben Simmons of the Brooklyn Nets will remain sidelined with a back injury.

Head coach Jacque Vaughn told reporters Sunday an MRI revealed back inflammation, leaving no set timetable for a return even though the team does not plan to shut him down for the season.

"A strengthening program that started following the All-Star break didn't immediately help, and that's also when he started appearing on the injury report for multiple reasons as back soreness began," Andrew Crane of the New York Post wrote.

Injuries have ravaged Simmons throughout his NBA career, and they have continued to be an issue in this his first season as a player for the Nets.

The 26-year-old Aussie has also struggled to find his game and seen his role fluctuate throughout the year, resulting in career-worst production of 6.9 points, 6.3 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game.

After missing his entire rookie season with a foot injury after the Philadelphia 76ers selected him first overall in the 2016 NBA draft, Simmons played almost every game the next two seasons.

Over the past four seasons, however, Simmons has not reached the 60-game mark in any of them.

Simmons was named an All-Star in three consecutive seasons from 2018-19 through 2020-21, plus he finished second in the NBA Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2020-21.

After becoming a scapegoat for the Sixers' second-round playoff loss to the Atlanta Hawks in 2021, Simmons did not initially report to the 76ers at the start of the 2021-22 season, and he was eventually traded to the Nets in a deal for James Harden.

Simmons did not make his Nets debut until this season, though, as a back injury forced him to miss the remainder of the 2021-22 campaign.

So far this season, Simmons has missed time with knee and back injuries, but even when healthy, he hasn't come to close to match his averages of 15.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, 7.7 assists and 1.7 steals with the Sixers.

While being without Simmons costs the Nets a quality defender and playmaker at a key part in the season, Brooklyn does boast some impressive depth thanks to the trades of Kyrie Irving to the Dallas Mavericks and Kevin Durant to the Phoenix Suns.

Spencer Dinwiddie, Mikal Bridges, Dorian Finney-Smith and Cam Johnson will have more responsibilities, while Cam Thomas and Seth Curry could see increased playing time as well.