Brooklyn Nets say Ben Simmons to return next season after back surgery. What do we know?

From his now infamous departure from the 76ers to his stop-start time in Brooklyn, if there has been one commonality in it all, it’s that Ben Simmons’ back has not been OK. The Australian star has spent much more time off the court than on it due to injury, but there is now hope that his seemingly chronic issues may be at an end after he underwent surgery this week.

Ben Simmons undergoes back surgery

According to an announcement from the Brooklyn Nets, Ben Simmons has an operation on his back on Thursday with the hopes of correcting a problem that has seen him play very little basketball in recent seasons. Indeed, most recently you would have likely seen our report about the 27-year-old’s 2023-24 season being officially declared over due to the problem.

Following that announcement, the team indicated that Simmons would consult with specialists and moreover that both the team and the player along with his representatives were “in discussions with numerous experts to determine the course of action that will provide him with the best opportunity for long-term sustainable health.” You can see the Nets’ press release below:

Brooklyn Nets guard/forward Ben Simmons underwent a successful microscopic partial discectomy earlier today to alleviate the nerve impingement in his lower back. The procedure was performed by Dr. Timur Urakov, in consultation with Dr. Barth Green, at UHealth Jackson Memorial Medical Center. Simmons is expected to make a full recovery in time for training camp next season.

Ben Simmons’ back has been a problem for a while

Truthfully, it’s been a very rough ride for Simmons since arriving in New York in early 2022. Following his trade from the 76ers to the Nets, Simmons had a microdiscectomy, a minimally invasive procedure, to alleviate pain caused by a herniated disc. While he was able to start playing for his new team in the season that followed, it was visibly clear that he was struggling. To that end, Simmons was only able to feature in 42 games, none of which came after the All-Star break. Not long after, the Nets announced that he would not play again that season due to nerve impingement.

Simmons himself would later disclose that getting out of bed or sitting for too long caused pain and tightness in his back, before explaining that he could “barely jump” when on the court. This of course has been a common trend for Simmons since an incident that occurred in Milwaukee back in February of 2020. At the time Simmons was said to be in so much pain that he was vomiting. Of course, this brings us to this season and what the Nets hoped would be the start of a new phase for the former Rookie of the Year (2018). Consider for a moment that Simmons said he felt “amazing” ahead of training camp and even looked to be on the mend in preseason. Sadly, that never came to pass as he only played in 15 games to the tune of 359 minutes.

As for what lies ahead, assuming he can get back to full fitness he will enter a 2024-25 season in which he will be on a $40.3 million expiring contract. Assuming he can get back on track, we’re talking about a player who has made three All-Star appearances, one All-NBA team, and was runner-up in 2021′s Defensive Player of the Year voting before his move to Brooklyn. Given that his agent recently took the blame for not exhausting options where specialists are concerned, and the comments we now have from the team to the effect that Simmons has done just that, we can only hope that we will see Ben Simmons back to his best when next season rolls around.