Ben Simmons receives epidural injection for back injury

Brooklyn Nets’ new star acquisition Ben Simmons received an epidural injection while he was away from the team during the team’s trip to Orlando.

Simmons is yet to play a game this season. He was traded by the Philadelphia 76ers after making himself unavailable due to mental health reasons following the fallout from their 2021 playoffs defeat to the Atlanta Hawks, while a back injury has delayed his Nets debut.

In Wednesday’s press conference, coach Steve Nash said the hope was that the injection would assist the healing process.

Nash went on to say that the team will have to wait-and-see how Simmons reacts to the treatment, and that there is no current timetable for his return to practice.

Nash says Simmons got an epidural while the Nets were in Orlando. The hope is that it will make his back start to feel better and he will be able to do more moving forward.

Nash has previously said there would be a ‘ramping-up’ period once Simmons is cleared to practice, meaning the talented Australian is still likely weeks away.

With less than four weeks until the end of the regular season, it will be a race to get Simmons some on-court reps with his teammates ahead of a likely playoff run, assuming the Nets make it through the play-in tournament.