Nets' Ben Simmons to Miss at Least 2 More Weeks With Back Injury

Brooklyn Nets guard Ben Simmons hasn't seen the court since early November, and his absence won't be ending any time soon.

The Nets announced Wednesday that Simmons, who has been dealing with a left lower back nerve impingement, is set to miss at least two more weeks and will be re-evaluated after that.

Simmons is seeing progress in his recovery, as the Nets noted that he "has displayed consistent strength improvement in the affected area over the past two weeks and has further increased individual court work."

Prior to suffering the injury, Simmons appeared in just six games and averaged 6.5 points, 10.8 rebounds and 6.7 assists while shooting 52.8 percent from the field.

Unfortunately, the Nets have grown accustomed to being without Simmons. Since acquiring him in Feb. 2022 as part of the trade that sent James Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers, Simmons has appeared in just 48 out of a possible 135 games due to various ailments.

The Nets have struggled to find consistency this season and sit in fourth place in the Atlantic Division with a 13-13 record. Brooklyn is riding a three-game losing streak into Wednesday's crosstown rivalry game against the New York Knicks (15-11).

It wasn't all bad news for the Nets on Wednesday. The team also revealed that point guard Dennis Smith Jr. has been upgraded to questionable for Friday's game against the Denver Nuggets after missing the last six games with an upper back sprain. Swingman Lonnie Walker IV, who has missed the last eight games with a left hamstring strain, is targeting a return to the lineup next week.