Ben Simmons expected to play for Nets Monday

Ben Simmons is expected to play for the Nets on Monday for the first time since November

By Associated Press Brooklyn

PUBLISHED 4:15 PM ET Jan. 29, 2024 PUBLISHED January 29, 2024 @4:15 PM

Ben Simmons is set to return to the Brooklyn Nets on Monday after missing nearly three months because of a pinched nerve in his back.

Simmons has played in just six games this season, none since Nov. 6, and has missed the last 38. He practiced Saturday with the Nets' NBA G League affiliate and coach Jacque Vaughn said afterward there was a “high likelihood" that the No. 1 pick in the 2016 draft would play Monday against Utah.

The Nets listed Simmons as probable to play in their injury report Sunday, then upgraded him to available Monday after he took part in their morning shootaround.

Simmons has dealt with back injuries since the Nets acquired him from Philadelphia nearly two years ago. The Nets originally thought his injury in November was in his left hip, before determining it was caused by an impingement in his lower back.