A recent MRI exam on Ben Simmons showed no new injuries, but the Nets star could still miss a fourth straight game Saturday against the Wizards.
The Nets listed Simmons as questionable with left knee soreness. Veteran forward T.J. Warren is also questionable with a left shin contusion, and star Kevin Durant remains out with a knee injury.
“So Ben and T.J. got on the court a little bit [Thursday]. They’ll probably, in about another half-an-hour or so, they’ll try to get on the court again,” coach Jacque Vaughn said. “Both are progressing. We’ll list them both as not available for Saturday’s game, and whether that is probable or questionable, we’ll see after [this] workout.”
“So they’ll get on the court again, and we’ll see if they can progress even more. Not certain to play on Saturday.”
Simmons was forced out of the Nets’ game Jan. 26 against the Pistons, and hasn’t played since, despite Vaughn having expressed optimism that the 26-year-old would be back on the floor sooner rather than later. Simmons missed all of last season with back and mental health issues, and has sat out for 14 of the Nets’ 51 games this season.
“With Ben, we are just cautious with our approach. At the end of the day we are just talking about having guys healthy at the end of the year,” Vaughn said. “Ben did experience some soreness and we want to make sure that soreness and swelling is out of there as he gets ready to get back on the court.”
When Simmons was sidelined in November with soreness and swelling in the same knee, an MRI exam at the time came up “clean” according to Vaughn. Now Simmons has gotten another, which discovered no changes or new injuries.
“Yes, Ben did get an MRI,” Vaughn said, “and nothing was revealed differently than from the previous ones.”
Durant is set to miss his 12th straight game with a right MCL sprain he suffered on Jan. 8 in Miami. He is slated to receive his second post-injury evaluation on Monday. The Nets are 4-7 so far in his absence.
“He’s still in his protocol. I think we get an update on him on Monday, so I’m looking forward to seeing what that sounds like,” said Vaughn, who was aware of Durant’s stated desire to play in the Feb. 19 NBA All-Star Game in Utah. The Nets have seven games before the break, including the Wizards.
“Yeah, that’s going to be an interesting balance. He’s made some statements about it. We’ll see where his headspace is. We’ll see what our report says on Monday when that comes around and that’ll give us more insight. At the end of the day, you’re not promised tomorrow. I understand these dudes are human beings and you don’t know what’s going to happen a year from now. The mindset of Kevin, I totally understand it. But we’ll do what’s best for him and the group.”
Yuta Watanabe was removed from the injury report and is expected to play Saturday despite back tightness.
“Yeah, he got some treatment [Thursday],” Vaughn said. “I’m not sure what we’ll list him at. He was improved with treatment and kind of leaning towards him playing on Saturday.”
The Nets recalled Kessler Edwards from G-League affiliate Long Island.
