Ben Simmons has played in just 65 games out of a possible 218 games with the Brooklyn Nets since the team acquired him in the James Harden trade in February 2022, and Wednesday night’s 139-114 loss to the Boston Celtics marked his first game missed due to injury this season.
Brooklyn Nets guard Ben Simmons underwent an MRI exam on his tight left calf, has missed four games so far this season
The Nets reported that Simmons would undergo an MRI exam on his tight left calf. In his seventh NBA season, he has now missed a total of four games, with the other three being all rest days during back-to-backs. Simmons had 12 assists Monday in New Orleans, but just two after halftime.
Simmons, 28, told reporters postgame that he’d cramped up in the second half, but the three-time All-Star guard also said he would be ready in time to face the Celtics. Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez added that Simmons would be listed as day-to-day on the injury report.
Ben Simmons underwent an MRI on his left calf, but the Nets do not have the results yet. Jordi Fernandez called him day-to-day.
— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) November 13, 2024
“And then Ben is just a minor calf. [We] did an MRI [exam]. We don’t have the results. But it’s just a day-to-day thing for now. … We do not have the results, and we have him as a day-to-day.”
Through eight games (six starts) this season, Simmons is averaging 6.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, 7.1 assists, and 24.5 minutes per contest while shooting career bests of 62.2% from the field and 75% at the free throw line.
Last season, Simmons underwent a successful microscopic partial discectomy to alleviate the nerve impingement in his lower back
In March, the Nets ruled Simmons out for the remainder of the 2023-24 season before he underwent a successful microscopic partial discectomy to alleviate the nerve impingement in his lower back.
The nerve impingement caused the guard to miss 38 consecutive games from Nov. 8 through Jan. 27. The Nets listed his status as day-to-day on the injury report throughout the season.
The 6-foot-10 Simmons is currently in the final season of his five-year, $177.2 million deal. His contract was signed with the Philadelphia 76ers in July 2019. The LSU product is owed $40.3 million this season.
According to Basketball-Reference, Simmons hasn’t played at least 70 games in a season since 2018-19 with the Sixers. He made 42 appearances in 2022-23 before he was sidelined because of a similar back injury.
Excluding his 2024-25 salary, Simmons has made $103.3 million with the Nets. That means the seven-year veteran earned $1.82 million per game played. By the end of this season, he will have earned about $143.63 million.
