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Jacque Vaughn, the coach of the Brooklyn Nets, has been maintaining that there have been no discussions about shutting down Ben Simmons, who is currently injured.
However, when asked about Simmons’ return to the court, Vaughn remained noncommittal on Sunday. Simmons, who has missed ten consecutive games and 26 this season, is still managing soreness in his back and knee.
The Nets put Simmons on a strengthening program for his sore knee, but his problematic back flared up again. Simmons missed the entire 2019-2020 season due to a herniated L-4 disk in his back and underwent a microdiscectomy procedure in May.
Despite being a three-time All-Star, Simmons has been averaging career-lows this season, including 6.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, 6.1 assists, and 43.9% shooting from the free-throw line.
As Simmons is slated to make $37.9 million next season and $40.3 million in 2024-25, the team is prioritizing his recovery to get him back to his former self.
The Nets defeated the Denver Nuggets 122-120 on Sunday, with point guard Spencer Dinwiddie recording a career-high 16 assists, the highest assist total for a Net this season. Coach Vaughn praised Dinwiddie’s performance, saying that he is tuned in and turned on every night, producing for the team and learning how to play with the group.
Dinwiddie’s chemistry with center Nic Claxton was also notable, as Claxton recorded 20 points, six rebounds, and five assists, with the first 20/5/5 game of his career.
Claxton did a great job running the lob game with Dinwiddie and even showed his pull-up jumper from the baseline, something he hadn’t done since college.
»Jacque Vaughn maintains that no discussions about shutting down Ben Simmons«
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