The current nerve impingement in Ben Simmons’ back is less severe than the one that sidelined him for 10 weeks earlier this season, but the Nets guard will still miss some time due to the ailment.
Simmons sat out Brooklyn’s game Monday night against Memphis due to the nerve impingement, and according to his agent Bernie Lee, he is considered day-to-day.
“It is a continuation of the same injury that he has dealt with all year,” Lee told SNY. “…We are trying to get clearer answers as to how to get him out of the reactive cycle he's in.”
The injury is the continuation of a frustrating two-plus seasons in Brooklyn for Simmons.
The 27-year-old missed the 2022 campaign due to lingering back issues, and he was limited to 42 games (33 starts) last season due to both back and knee ailments. Simmons is averaging 6.1 points and 7.9 rebounds thus far this season, but he's appeared in just 15 games.
The first first overall pick hasn't had an MRI on his back yet, and Lee says he is essentially day-to-day at the moment.
“We continue to try and find non-surgical options to allow Ben to move forward on a permanent basis and that is where this is my responsibility and I am (the) one to blame,” Lee said.
“When I began working with Ben I made a commitment to him that I would do everything I could to find the right answers and specialists for him to work with (in order) to move forward from the issues he has been having. Clearly it hasn’t happened, and that's my responsibility.
Lee continued: "In the year I have worked with Ben he has taken less than seven days off. In my almost 20 years doing this (it) isn't something I’ve seen. So the thought that he is doing everything asked of him but not getting the results is something that in no way shape or form sits right with me, and I am committed to finding him the right people and the right answers and we will."
Currently, the plan is for Simmons to finish the season, and next year will be the final season of his five-year, $170 million deal.
“Come the offseason, we're going to implement some processes and outside input that'll allow him to finally move forward from this ongoing issue and resume his career at the levels he's established prior to being injured,” Lee said.