The Ben Simmons saga continued on Wednesday when the Brooklyn Nets announced that the guard would undergo a procedure on Thursday to address his ongoing back issue.
Simmons suffered a flare-up in his back during his reconditioning following his trade to the Nets in February. It was later revealed to be a herniated disc and he was given an epidural in March to alleviate the pain.
Now the Nets have decided to have Simmons go through a microdiscectomy procedure, which they say, will help relieve pain caused by a herniated disc. “After consultation with multiple back specialists, it has been determined that the best course of action for Ben’s long-term health is for him to undergo surgery,” the Nets said in a statement.
The team did not release any timetable for how long the recovery time would be and only said that further updates would be provided after the procedure. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that it is expected to take Simmons three to four months to make a full recovery and he is expected to be ready by the start of training camp.
Brooklyn Nets' Ben Simmons is expected to need 3-to-4 months to make a full recovery on back surgery, sources tell ESPN. The expectation is that he'll be ready to return well ahead of training camp.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 4, 2022
Simmons never was able to make his debut for the Nets due to the ongoing issue and despite what looked like a very real chance he’d play in Game 4 of the Brooklyn Nets’ first-round series with the Boston Celtics, he never took the court. The 25-year-old’s inability to play through a massive wrench in the Nets plans for this season after acquiring him at the NBA Trade Deadline in a deal that sent James Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers.
For more Nets coverage, visit AMNY.com and our affiliate site at TheBrooklynGame.com
Following the Nets’ quick exit from the playoffs, there had been some questions over what Brooklyn had planned for Simmons. For their part, Ben Simmons’ teammates in Brooklyn have never shown him any ill will over the circumstances and never pressured him to play before he was ready.
“Ben’s good, we have Ben, we have his back, he’s going to be good for next year,” Kyrie Irving said after Brooklyn was eliminated. “Now we just turn the page and look forward to what we’re building as a franchise and really get tougher.”
