Report: Ben Simmons injury saga takes another dramatic turn for Nets
Former LSU star Ben Simmons has been aiming to return to the NBA for the Nets, and a new development has come out regarding his timeline. Originally aiming a return by Game 4 of their first-round series against the Boston Celtics, it now is being reported that Simmons will be unavailable for the Nets’ potential final game of the season.
Ben Simmons not returning yet for Nets
“The Nets and Ben Simmons expected he would be ready to play on Monday, but after getting on the court yesterday Simmons says he awoke with back soreness today. In the end, the team and Simmons agreed he’ll remain out for Game 4,” stated ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Critics of Simmons from around the NBA and the fanbase began making jokes following the Nets’ Game 3 loss that he would certainly miss Game 4, and now it appears to be the case.
Simmons has been one of the most wild storylines this year in the NBA after deciding to force a trade out of Philadelphia by not showing up to practices or playing in games. While plenty of rumors and potential reasons for his holdout circled early in the year, ultimately a fortunate situation appeared for both Philadelphia and Brooklyn before the NBA trade deadline.
Philadelphia made the move to finally trade Ben Simmons to the Nets for star James Harden who was also unhappy in his situation — a move that appeared to make sense for both sides. Now, with the Nets on the brink of elimination, it looks like Simmons may not play at all for either team this year. After being traded, Simmons’ return to the court was hampered by a back injury that has not healed and will now keep him from seeing the court once.
The Nets’ first-round series with Boston has been an incredibly frustrating one for Brooklyn fans who have watched their team struggle to find ground all season despite starring Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Irving spent nearly the entire season as a “part-time” player as he was unable to play home games due to his unvaccinated status. Now, Irving is back in full but facing elimination at the hands of his former Boston teammates after leaving in dramatic fashion.
With Ben Simmons future in the NBA and with the Nets seemingly in doubt, Irving’s inability to play games this season and Durant’s lack of meaningful impact on their playoff series — Brooklyn fans have been left frustrated with a team that even NBA insiders believed was a championship-caliber team.