The Brooklyn Nets ruled out Ben Simmons for the third straight game Tuesday versus the Milwaukee Bucks due to left knee soreness. Simmons said Friday that he experienced soreness following a pair of practices at the end of the All-Star break, forcing him to have the knee drained and receive a PRP injection.
This marks the 26-year-old's third extended absence due to the knee ailment, the most recent of which was a five-game stretch earlier this month. Simmons has already missed 18 games this season. Despite the frequent absences, head coach Jacque Vaughn said that the Nets have had “zero conversations” about shutting the three-time All-Star down.
The coach instead said that Simmons would enter a “strengthening phase” in an attempt to prevent further issues. Simmons indicated Friday that he would be reevaluated in a week.
When available, the former number-one pick has been a shell of his old self, averaging 6.9 points, 6.3 rebounds and 6.1 assists. The glaring lack of production led Simmons to fall out of the starting five prior to the break. The injury has left Brooklyn without a backup center behind Nic Claxton. Second-year big man Day'Ron Sharpe has sparingly filled that role throughout the year. However, Vaughn benched Sharpe in a matchup with Atlanta Sunday, instead playing extended small-ball minutes with Dorian Finney-Smith in the middle.
The Nets have fallen into a tie with New York for fifth place in the Eastern Conference following two losses coming out of the break. They will play host to the Bucks, who are on a league-best 14-game win streak, before traveling across the river to meet the New York Knicks on a back-to-back.
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