What To Know About Ben Simmons' Back Soreness
About an hour before the Brooklyn Nets' loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday night, the team ruled point forward Ben Simmons out with back soreness. Here's what you need to know about his status going forward.
After Simmons went through his pregame warmups, he reported to the staff that he felt tightness in his back resulting in the late scratch for Sunday's game.
"He went through warmups. He felt some tightness," said Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn postgame. "That was the report I had, and then he was a late scratch."
The team remains hopeful that Simmons' back tightness is simply a one-game thing. The Nets head coach disclosed that the plan is for the point forward to travel with the team on their five-game road trip.
"He'll be on the trip with us, so hopefully it's one game," Vaughn stated. "I hope so."
The biggest question after Simmons was ruled out, aside from the predicted time of injury absence, was whether he'll undergo an MRI to further evaluate the back soreness. After the Nets' 112-102 loss to the Thunder, Vaughn stated that no MRI is currently scheduled.
"From what I'm told, no scheduled MRI," Vaughn said. "That was the latest that I got from the guys."
Simmons is certainly no stranger to back injuries. He underwent back surgery last May to repair a herniated disc in his back. That delayed his anticipated team debut till the season opener of the 2022-23 regular season. Prior to the off-season procedure, he dealt with a nerve issue in his back in 2020.
Brooklyn's loss on Sunday night marked the 11th game Simmons has missed this season. He missed a total of five games with left knee soreness, four games with a left lateral calf strain, and one game for a team-imposed injury management for his back.
Simmons is averaging 7.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, 6.2 assists, and 1.5 steals in 27.2 minutes per game this season.
