By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Another setback for Ben Simmons who will not return to action this season.
Brooklyn Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn updated his status on Tuesday and revealed the player will begin a rehab program on his back.
Apart from dealing with left knee soreness throughout the 2022-23 NBA Regular Season, Simmons was recently diagnosed with a nerve impingement in his back. Last May, he underwent back surgery in Los Angeles and followed up with an MRI in early March to reveal inflammation in his back.
“Yeah, it takes time to build, especially with having a nerve injury,” noted the Australia-born player commenting on the surgery last November, “It takes 18 months for your nerves to fully heal. People don’t know that. But over time, I get better and better. Just keep pushing.”
Recovering can possibly stretch into the next season, possibly generating yet another limited campaign.
Simmons, 26, logged 42 games played, including 33 starts this season. Averaging 6.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, 6.1 assists, and 1.3 steals per contest were all career-lows compared to his spell at the Philadelphia 76ers.
Coming out of Louisiana State, Simmons was selected first overall in the 2016 draft by the Sixers. He was named Rookie of the Year in 2018 and to the All-Star Game 2019 through 2021. But the deteriorating relationship with Philadelphia in the aftermath of the 2021 Playoffs led to the holdout until joining the Nets late in the 2021-22 season and finally resurfacing at the top of the 2022-23 season.
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