Here is the latest news and possible return dates for Nets players…
November 9, 1:00 p.m.
Ben Simmons will not play on Saturday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers (10-0) due to lower back injury management, the team announced.
Simmons scored eight points on 4-for-6 shooting with eight assists, seven rebounds, and one steal over 27 minutes in Friday’s OT loss to the Boston Celtics.
Head coach Jordi Fernandez indicated after the loss that Simmons would be out for the second game of the back-to-back.
Day’Ron Sharpe (left hamstring strain), Bojan Bogdanović (left foot injury recovery), and Trendon Watford (left hamstring strain) are all listed as out, too.
Simmons has played in seven of Brooklyn’s nine games so far during the 2024-25 season, but Friday was the first time he came off the bench. He was told prior to the game that he would not be starting.
“I think for the flow of the team, whatever the team needs me to do, whether it’s come off the bench or starting, I gotta do,” Simmons told reporters. “That’s what coach wants right now. It is what it is.”
It’s unclear if Fernandex and the Nets plan to have Simmons come off the bench for the remainder of the season. Simmons expressed optimism that “things change all the time” in the NBA and is prepared to take on the new role for the time being.
The former No. 1 overall pick is averaging 6.1 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 6.4 assists per game over 24.9 minutes of action this year. He played just 15 games for the Nets during the 2023-24 season after logging 42 games during the 2022-23 season. Simmons did not play during the 2021-22 season due to injury and was traded by the Philadelphia 76ers to Brooklyn as part of the James Harden deal.
