NEW YORK (AP) — Ben Simmons will miss at least another week because of a pinched nerve, the Brooklyn Nets guard's latest back trouble.
Simmons has missed the last three games because of a bruised left hip. But after continued discomfort in the area, the Nets said Tuesday that Simmons had an MRI exam that revealed a nerve impingement in the lower left side of his back.
Back problems have ended the last two seasons early for Simmons, who will continue to receive treatment on both the back and hip. The Nets said a status update will be provided in a week.
Simmons developed back problems as he tried to rebuild his conditioning after the Nets acquired him from Philadelphia in 2022 at the trade deadline in the deal that sent James Harden to Philadelphia. The No. 1 pick in the 2016 draft eventually underwent a microdiscectomy, a procedure to remove a small fragment of a herniated disk, that May.
Last season, while playing his way back into shape following that surgery, Simmons also developed knee and calf pain that forced him to sit out 20 games, before a nerve impingement in his back ultimately ended his season in March.
Simmons worked hard in the offseason on his conditioning and regained his starting job as the point guard, after he had fallen out of coach Jacque Vaughn's rotation last season. He has averaged 6.5 points, 10.8 rebounds and 6.7 assists in six games, also sitting out one to rest his back.
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