Getty Ben Simmons and Jacque Vaughn of the Brooklyn Nets.
Brooklyn Nets All-Star forward Ben Simmons has not played since the team returned from the All-Star break due to a knee injury. With Simmons’ extensive injury history, there had been mutterings of the Nets considering shutting him down for the remainder of the season. However, Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn says there is “zero” chance of that happening.
“That’s a zero on that one,” Vaughn said to reporters in response to the rumors that Simmons could be shut down. “I think I went zero last time, going zero again, no discussion.”
Jacque Vaughn reiterated that there have been “zero” discussions about shutting Ben Simmons down this season.
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Jacque Vaughn Gives Key Ben Simmons Update
Simmons has been dealing with injuries since he arrived in Brooklyn last February. The All-Star forward anticipated making his Nets debut last season after being traded from the Philadelphia 76ers, but a back injury sidelined him for the remainder of the regular season and the playoffs. An MRI later revealed that he had a herniated disc in his back that required him to have off-season surgery last May.
This year the ailments have continued for the former Defensive Player of the Year finalist as sporadic flareups in his injured knee have caused him to miss time. He has appeared in just 42 of the 62 games the Nets have played this season. But as much as the Nets look forward to the day Simmons can return to the floor amid their losing skid, Vaughn says the ultimate goal is to keep him healthy.
“We want to get to a position where we have no reoccurrence of swelling or anything of that nature,” Vaughn said of Simmons.
“I don’t want to get into markers and what he’s doing on a daily basis. I just kind of want to put it all in the bucket of strengthening. That’s what it is at the end of the day, whether that’s consisting of weight room stuff, whether that is conditioning stuff, whether that is basketball stuff, it’s all built around him trying to strengthen and get back to playing.”
Kevin Durant Sounds off After Suns Debut
Simmons is not the only Nets star to have dealt with an injury this season. Before being traded to the Phoenix Suns at the deadline, All-Star forward Kevin Durant sprained his MCL, which sidelined the two-time champion for nearly two months. Durant made his debut for the Suns in a matchup with the Charlotte Hornets on March 1 and picked up right off where he left off, netting a cool 23 points in his return.
After the Suns win, the ex-Nets star went into depth about the trade request that ultimately landed him in a Suns uniform.
“I’m processing it right now. It’s a business, it’s how I’m looking at it. I’m not the first one to get traded or ask for a trade. I don’t look at myself or my status in the league that I can’t go through what other players in the league go through,” Durant said after the win via ESPN.
“I was looking at the year we was in the last year and then this year, what are we doing [for the future]? I’m here. I signed the contract [extension], but nobody else around me signed. It was too much confusion. I’m glad I can move forward. I was thinking about who’s in the building, then when s*** started happening. We’re not playing well. KI requested a trade. It felt like a lot of s*** wasn’t happening for us. But I was locked in. I felt like my play showed people that I was really committed to the organization.”