Brooklyn Nets guard Ben Simmons plans to return to the lineup Friday vs. Atlanta after missing the team's last three games with a calf strain.
The three-time All-Star exited with the injury during the second quarter of the Nets' win over Orlando last week. Brooklyn later announced that Simmons would miss a minimum of three games. The Aussie will sit out his fourth straight when the Nets host Charlotte Wednesday.
Simmons’ injury was initially identified as knee soreness before Brooklyn’s training staff clarified his calf as the issue. The 26-year-old missed four games with soreness and swelling in the same knee earlier this season.
Simmons had played his best basketball of the season leading up to the injury, averaging 13.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 6.1 assists on 42-of-53 (79.2 percent) shooting in eight appearances before exiting against Orlando. Brooklyn missed the three-time All-Star’s playmaking ability down the stretch of their 103-92 loss to the Celtics Sunday with Boston keying on Kevin Durant.
Ben Simmons' injury came with the Nets already short on perimeter defenders and rebounders with Yuta Watanabe sidelined with a hamstring strain. Watanabe is planning to return either Friday against Atlanta or Saturday in Indiana, per Kristian Winfield.
The forward has missed Brooklyn's last eight games following a four-game stretch in which he averaged 14.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. Watanabe had been one of the surprise stories of the season while leading the league in three-point percentage (57.1) prior to the injury.
The Nets are 13-12 following the loss to Boston. Brooklyn will close out a seven-game homestand against Charlotte and Atlanta before a four-game road trip with stops in Indiana, Washington, Toronto and Detroit.
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