The latest chapter in the saga of Ben Simmons’ back injury is just another reason for Brooklyn Nets fans not to have much confidence in the team’s playoff prospects.
This has been a very wild and weird season for the Brooklyn Nets. It started off poorly and led to the firing of Steve Nash. Things became promising under interim head coach Jacque Vaughn until Kevin Durant was sidelined with a knee injury.
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While he was out, Kyrie Irving played well, then became unhappy with extension talks and asked for a trade out of town. Durant soon followed with his own request and the team went from a conference finals contender to one lacking a legit All-Star.
Yet, following the trades, Vaughn got the most out of his new team and Mikal Bridges elevated his game to unseen levels. However, they have not been able to maintain the solid play in recent weeks as they have slumped and slipped to seventh in the conference. During that time Ben Simmons has again been sidelined with knee and back injuries since mid-February.
Ben Simmons stats (’22-’23): 6.9 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 6.1 APG, 1.3 SPG
Well, there is a new update on his forever back injury and it sure doesn’t seem like the three-time All-Star will be back any time soon to turn back the clock and be the best version of himself during the NBA Play-In tournament.
On Friday, New York Post Nets beat writer Brian Lewis revealed that “Ben Simmons has been diagnosed with a nerve impingement in his back after a reevaluation earlier today. He will remain out of action while [Brooklyn] determines the best long-term course of treatment.”
As described by the Mayo Clinic a nerve impingement or pinched nerve “occurs when too much pressure is applied to a nerve by surrounding tissues, such as bones, cartilage, muscles or tendons. This pressure can cause pain, tingling, numbness, or weakness.” This sort of injury could take days or weeks to possibly heal.
Ben Simmons’ back was the reason he missed all of his time with Brooklyn last season and part of why he has only played 42 games this season.