Ben Simmons Won't Play Back-to-Backs Indefinitely amid Injury, Nets HC Says

The Brooklyn Nets aren't planning to use Ben Simmons for both legs of back-to-backs for the foreseeable future.

Head coach Jordi Fernández told reporters the veteran guard will be out against the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday night with the Nets turning around and playing the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday. This is the plan the team will follow until it says otherwise.

Persistent back injuries caused Simmons to miss all of 2022-23 and then appear in just 57 combined games over the next two seasons. He underwent a microscopic partial discectomy in March, which was his second back procedure in three years.

The NBA's rest policy includes exceptions that allow "star" players to miss games without violating the rules. A documented injury history is one of those exceptions, one for which Simmons would easily qualify.

More than anything, Fernández's comments reinforce how the 28-year-old is simply a sunk cost for Brooklyn at this point.

Fans have long since given up on the idea of Simmons becoming a dynamic two-way force, one who made three straight All-Star Games, ever again. Since joining the Nets, he has struggled to stay healthy, and his production has trailed well behind his Philadelphia 76ers days. He has averaged 6.6 points, 6.7 rebounds and 6.0 assists.

More concerning than the raw numbers, Simmons still looks far too reticent around the basket for somebody with his size and skill. There's simply no reason for him to keep passing out of shot attempts in the paint like this.

Simmons is headed for free agency in the offseason and it will be fascinating to see what his market looks like. At this rate, there may not be a ton of takers.