Ben Simmons

Nets guard Ben Simmons is beginning a rehab program on his back and is expected to make a full recovery.

Simmons did not play during the 2021-22 season because of a back injury and a holdout from playing when he was with the [Philadelphia 76ers](https://theathletic.com/nba/team/sixers/). Vaughn said at Tuesday’s practice he wants to coach Simmons and get him back to the player he was, but the bar is so low it’s hard to gauge what realistic expectations are for Simmons next season. But if the production doesn’t improve and if he can stay on the court, it’s hard to see Simmons, who is owed roughly $80 million over the next two years, returning to the All-Star he was in Philly. Simmons, the No. Jacque Vaughn said Ben Simmons is out for the rest of the season and playoffs as previously stated. Simmons’ first year in Brooklyn finished at just 42 games, rivaling the availability issues of the team’s stars in recent years.

Simmons played in 42 games during his first active season with the Nets. He averaged 6.9 points, 6.3 rebounds and 6.1 assists, all career lows after missing all ...

Though he had been dealing with knee soreness as well, his back became the bigger issue. During a recent re-evaluation, imaging revealed that Simmons is dealing ...

You put another big next to Ben, then you got to figure out what the spacing is around him. Then, if you put another playmaker next to him, then you got to figure out what Ben looks like without the basketball. [Kevin Durant](/nba/players/1231866/kevin-durant/) and [Kyrie Irving](/nba/players/1779901/kyrie-irving/). We have the personnel to figure it out. "Ben will not be joining us the rest of the year," Vaughn [said](https://twitter.com/YaronWeitzman/status/1640755370120343559). This is not the first time that Simmons has dealt with a back injury since arriving in Brooklyn.

Ben Simmons won't play again for the Nets this season, head coach Jacque Vaughn said Tuesday.

“Without getting into specifics, what I’ve learned in all these conversations is that what Ben experienced here is considered to be part of the recovery from his previous procedure,” Lee said. “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,” Vaughn said. In 42 games this season, he averaged 6.9 points and 26.3 minutes per game, both career-lows. Even after the latest setback, Vaughn said the Nets aim “to be involved” with Simmons as he tries to rediscover the player he was before injuries. “The NBA schedule is obviously rigorous and not forgiving to the need for patience at times and Ben made every effort to be available to help his team in every way as much as he could. [diagnosed Friday with a nerve impingement](https://nypost.com/2023/03/24/ben-simmons-nets-season-likely-over-following-new-diagnosis/) in his back — in addition to the list of knee and other back problems that have derailed another season.

Jacque Vaughn announced Tuesday that Ben Simmons is shut down, which wasn't new, and that he's begun rehabbing on his back, which is.

and live with the possibility of having him return to health with another team. “Without getting into specifics, what I’ve learned in all these conversations is that what Ben experienced here is considered to be part of the recovery from his previous procedure,” Lee told Lewis. Simmons had had his left knee drained and an injection of platelet-rich plasma before the All-Star Break. So that was kind of the sequence of the strengthening, which took part to get him to reassessing, which the reassessing got him to specialists. More importantly, he seemed to lack the explosiveness that had been a big part of his game. “Yeah, it takes time to build, especially with having a nerve injury,” Simmons said then. Simmons had a microdiscectomy, a surgical procedure to repair the herniated L-4 disk, on May 5, 2022. Vaughn emphasized that the Nets — and their doctors — expect Simmons, 26, to be back at full strength by next season. “As recommended right now and by the doctors, that is not in sight. For the season, he averaged career-lows of 6.9 points, 6.3 rebounds and 6.1 assists. And this is not news that he wants to hear. “This is a young man that has been through a very traumatic and pretty arduous last couple years here.