Ben Simmons hopes 2024 finally brings him better health and increased availability for the Nets.
But while acknowledging he’s “doing well” in his latest injury rehab, the three-time All-Star still couldn’t offer a definitive timeframe and said he has “no expectations” about when he might return to game action.
Simmons has been sidelined since early November with a nerve impingement in his lower back, missing his 21st consecutive game Friday night against the Nuggets at Barclays Center.
“For me, the recovery process is never fun, but it’s something I’ve been locked into since having this injury,” Simmons said before the Nets’ 122-117 loss to the Nuggets in his first public comments since he was injured against the Bucks in Nov. 6. “Everyday I’m just trying to get better to get back on the floor. … I have time left and I’m looking forward to getting back out there.”
The Nets had said before Wednesday’s loss to the Knicks that Simmons’ status would be updated in two weeks, noting that he’s increased his individual workload but not yet participating in any team drills.
He also received an epidural injection last week, and said it “made a difference, for sure.”
Still, the 6-foot-10 point guard has missed more games than he’s been available to play for the Nets since he arrived as part of the deadline package the Nets brought back from the 76ers in February 2022 in the James Harden trade.
Simmons sat out the entire 2021-22 campaign between the two teams due to a back injury and mental health issues, before undergoing microdiscectomy surgery for a herniated disk in May of that year.
He opened last season on the Nets’ active roster but was limited to 42 games played — averaging career lows in scoring (6.9 points per game), rebounds (6.3) and assists (6.1) before he was shut down in mid-February for the remainder of the season.
Simmons, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 draft, had stated that he felt “amazing” during training camp earlier this year, but he lasted only six games — averaging 6.5 points, 10.8 rebounds and 6.7 assists — before departing the lineup once again.
Through Friday’s contest, the 27-year-old Simmons has played in only 48 of 146 possible games — 138 in the regular season and eight in the playoffs — since his acquisition by the Nets, or 32.9 percent.
That means he has received nearly $38.8 million for games in which he was unavailable over parts of three seasons in Brooklyn.
“It’s probably been one of the most frustrating points of my career, just because I want to be out there and help my team win and compete,” said Simmons, who is guaranteed $37.9 million this year and $40.3 million for 2024-25. “But it’s one of those things that’s a part of sports.
Not every game is promised. Injuries happen. For me it’s just focusing on what I can do to get back on the floor and contribute.
“Honestly, I wish it was a sprained ankle, because this is an injury you just don’t know. But we’ve seen a lot of progress, which has been very positive.”
Nets coach Jacque Vaughn added that Simmons has remained engaged with his teammates at the practice facility and during games since resuming his individual workouts.
“He stayed home from the West Coast trip and for the time we got back home, like today, he was there for the shootaround,” Vaughn said. “He’s in the video sessions, and he’ll have comments throughout the course of the game.
“The ability to talk to his teammates to see the game from his vantage point, you want whether you’re hurt or injured or healthy. You want the group to be around each other whenever possible, so that we can figure things out together.”
