The Brooklyn Nets have decided to rule out injured guard Ben Simmons for the rest of the season according to coach Jacque Vaughn during the team’s practice session on Tuesday.
It should be recalled that Simmons hasn’t played a game for the Nets because of a nerve issue in his back since 15th February, when they faced Miami Heat in their final game before the All-Star break last month.
This season alone, he has missed a total of 33 games because of his persistent knee and back injuries. His numbers have also declined, posting career lows in minutes (26.3), points (6.9), rebounds (6.3), assists (6.1), free throw percentage (43.9).
He’s also on 56.6% shooting from the field in 42 games, 33 of which came as a starter this season.
The former All-Star with the Philadelphia 76ers also sat out all of last season because of his injury woes which has resulted in a steep decline in form and performance from his days.
Coach Vaughn sounded optimistic when asked if he thought Simmons could still be a high-level player in the league.
“That’s our goal,” He said. “And overall you just think about, he’s 6-10, athletic, what he can do and bring to our team, how he can help our group on both ends of the floor. We want to be involved in that. We want to see that. I want to coach Ben and I want to be able to push Ben to get back to all-defensive team and impact our team on both ends of the floor. So that’s definitely the goal going forward.”
Simmons, 26, still has two years remaining on his contract which would earn him $37.8 million in 2023-24 season and $40.3 million in 2024-25 season.
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