The shorthanded Brooklyn Nets may receive a significant reinforcement Monday. The Nets upgraded Ben Simmons to questionable for their upcoming road matchup with the Dallas Mavericks.
Simmons missed Brooklyn's last four games while dealing with swelling and soreness in his left knee. The three-time All-Star did not travel with the Nets for their back-to-back this weekend. As of Thursday, interim head coach Jacque Vaughn said Simmons was unable to practice.
“Ben is doing more so treatment than anything, trying to get that swelling down,” Vaughn said.
The first-year Net continued receiving treatment on his knee in Brooklyn over the weekend. Despite still recovering from offseason back surgery, Ben Simmons had not missed a game prior to Monday. The former No. 1 pick has looked like a shell of his old self physically through early struggles this year. Simmons has shown visible discomfort in his back when initiating contact and has been noticeably hesitant offensively, averaging 6.2 points on just 5.7 shots per game.
The 26-year-old missed all of last season while citing a back injury and mental health issues. Simmons underwent a microdiscectomy in May to alleviate pain in a herniated disk in his back. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Friday that Simmons' early struggles have been “a source of frustration” for Kevin Durant and other Nets players.
"Ben Simmons has been a source of frustration for Kevin Durant, for others on the Nets so far, because he's been unable to stay on the floor, but prior to that, he has shown that he's a long way away from being back to an impactful player."
– @wojespnpic.twitter.com/JFYO3LfDXf
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) November 4, 2022
Despite also missing Kyrie Irving after suspending the All-Star guard, Brooklyn claimed back-to-back wins this weekend in Washington and Charlotte. The Nets will look to build greater momentum with Ben Simmons trending toward returning to the lineup Monday.
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