Nets' Ben Simmons receives epidural injection, out at least two more weeks
Nets guard Ben Simmons, center, in street clothes, looks on from the bench in the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Charlotte Hornets at Barclays Center on Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Ben Simmons will miss at least two more weeks after receiving an epidural injection to treat the nerve impingement in his left lower back, the Nets announced Saturday.
The injection was a planned part of Simmons’ rehab this week, according to coach Jacque Vaughn. Saturday’s game was the 12th that Simmons has missed since being injured on Nov. 6.
Vaughn added that Simmons didn’t suffer any setbacks. The team said in its statement that he’ll continue to do strengthening exercises while he progresses.
“It was just a part of his getting back to playing, and that is a part of his treatment, a part of his strengthening,” Vaughn said of the injection. “That was just a part of his getting back to the position of joining us.”
With the updated timeline, Simmons will miss six more games after Saturday’s game against the Magic.
Vaughn also said that Simmons is doing “low-level stuff” on the court, which includes no rebounding drills nor any sprinting up the floor. He’s also not doing team drills, which falls in line with what the Nets said in their Nov. 22 statement that Simmons had just begun light individual on-court work.
Simmons played only 42 games last season because of a nerve impingement in a different position in his back.
In six games this season, he averaged 6.5 points, 10.8 rebounds and 6.7 assists before getting hurt.
Walker, Finney-Smith sit
Lonnie Walker IV (hamstring) and Dorian Finney-Smith (right foot/knee soreness) were ruled out Saturday. It’s the second game Walker has missed and the first game Finney-Smith has missed this season.
Vaughn said Finney-Smith reported his injury in the morning. He played a season-high 39 minutes in Thursday’s loss to the Hornets.
Evan Barnes covers the Nets for Newsday. He previously covered Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.
