The wait continues for Ben Simmons with the Brooklyn Nets, but the former swingman could soon make big strides in his return to the hardwood.
On Tuesday, head coach Jake Vaughn revealed that Beane will be inactive for the team’s three-game roster this week. He has continued to practice, though, and plans to begin practice next week when he joins their G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets.
“He’s out this week, so we’ve got [Tuesday], Minnesota and Houston. So he’s out this week,” Vaughn said. But all signs point in this direction. …At some point we will use Long Island to train there or take more bodies. We hope that this will happen in the near future.”
Ben’s current injury progress
Benn has been unavailable for the team since November 6 because of a nerve strain in his lower back.
The Australian star lost his 36th straight game on Tuesday as the Nets lost to the New York Knicks. He appeared in just six games that year in 2023-24, averaging 6.5 points, 6.7 assists, and a career-high 10.8 boards while shooting 52.8 percent from the field.
Simmons joined the Nets’ last three-game road trip on the West Coast as he continues to build that conditioning and momentum to join the team when he finally recovers.