The Ben Simmons experience in Brooklyn is not going well.
The three-time All-Star was ruled out for the rest of the season Tuesday as he begins a rehab program on his back, Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn said.
Simmons has not played since Brooklyn’s final game before the NBA’s All-Star break and has played in just 42 games this season.
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Simmons missed games this season for various reasons, including injuries to his knees and left calf.
The back injury is due to a nerve impingement, according to the Nets.
"For me as a coach, there’s some things that I can control, some things that I can’t control," Vaughn said Saturday. "What I can’t control is the impingement. What I can control is getting this group ready to play. And then, in all honesty, the realism that he’s probably not going to join us for the rest of the year ... certainty will come once he continues to be looked at by specialists."
Simmons has had his worst statistical season after missing the entire 2021-22 season due to mental health issues and a back injury.
In his first full season with the Nets, Simmons averaged career lows in minutes (26.3), points (6.9), assists (6.1) and rebounds (6.3).
Vaughn told reporters Tuesday the organization believes Simmons can return to the player he has been throughout his career.
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"That’s our goal. And, overall, you just think about. He’s 6-10, athletic, what he can do and bring to our team, how he can help our group on both ends of the floor," Vaughn said, according to the New York Daily News. "We want to be involved in that. We want to see that. I want to coach Ben, and I want to be able to push Ben to get back to all-defensive team and impact our team on both ends of the floor. So, that’s definitely the goal going forward."
Brooklyn is attempting to stay out of the NBA’s play-in tournament during a season of great change within the organization.
Just seven games into the 2022-23 season, the Nets and head coach Steve Nash agreed to part ways. Vaughn, who was serving as an assistant coach at the time, replaced Nash.
In February, days before the NBA’s trade deadline, Brooklyn overhauled its roster, trading Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant after the two stars asked out.
The Nets are 40-35 and tied for sixth in the Eastern Conference.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
