Ben Simmons of the Brooklyn Nets may be the biggest enigma in the NBA.
He has always been considered one of the more talented players in the league, but he has fallen well short of realizing his vast potential since being taken with the top pick in the 2016 draft.
In about one calendar year with the Nets, Simmons hasn’t been available very often, and so far this season he has appeared in just 42 games.
He has been out since late February, and the organization has announced that he has been diagnosed with a nerve ailment in his back and that he won’t be returning to game action any time soon.
New ESPN story: Ben Simmons has been diagnosed with a nerve impingement in his back, and will remain out of the lineup. He hasn't played since Brooklyn's final game before the All-Star Break. https://t.co/aRX5CSnV4I
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) March 24, 2023
At the same time, Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn says there haven’t been any discussions about shutting down Simmons for the remainder of the season.
When Simmons first arrived in the New York City area in February 2022, fans envisioned what was possible with him teaming up alongside Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant.
But he didn’t play at all for Brooklyn last season, and the team got swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Boston Celtics.
Irving and Durant were both eventually traded, leaving the organization in a long-term rebuilding mode.
Simmons has always been considered someone who has had superstar potential, but he has never developed his game other than becoming one of the league’s better defenders.
He has never added the ability or willingness to take shots outside of the paint, and his scoring has actually declined from 14.3 points per game two seasons ago to just 6.9 a game this season.
NEXT: NBA Fans React To Ben Simmons Agent News
