Stop me if you’ve heard this before: Ben Simmons is hurt again.
The Brooklyn Nets guard will miss Wednesday night’s game against the Phoenix Suns after incurring a knee injury during his first game back in over two months, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
The oft-injured star is the epitome of fragility. Since the Nets sent James Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers to acquire Simmons, he’s played in less than a third of their games. He missed his entire first season in Brooklyn with a back injury and only played half of the 2022-2023 season with a wide range of maladies.
This year he’s played sparingly, again missing months due to a back injury. (RELATED: Kardashian Curse Claims Yet Another Victim As Ben Simmons Out Indefinitely With Another Injury)
While this current flare up isn’t considered serious – Charania reports it’s just swelling and that tests showed no further damage – every Simmons injury leaves Nets fans holding their collective breath.
Ben Simmons is out for Nets-Suns tonight due to left knee contusion. He returned on Monday after two-month absence, posting 10 points, 11 assists and 8 rebounds vs. Utah. Simmons developed swelling in knee from a hit during game, sources say, but tests showed no further issue.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 31, 2024
To add insult to injury (literally) the former first overall draft pick looked great in his return Monday against the Utah Jazz. Simmons logged a double double in just 18 minutes played, scoring 10 points and dishing out 11 assists while grabbing eight rebounds to boot.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JANUARY 29: Ben Simmons #10 of the Brooklyn Nets dribbles against Simone Fontecchio #16 and John Collins #20 of the Utah Jazz during the second half at Barclays Center on January 29, 2024 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. The Nets won 147-114. Sarah Stier/Getty Images
The dude would be a walking triple double if he could actually walk.
The latest injury is yet another ding to the reputation of a dude with so much potential. Magic Johnson once called him “the best all around player I’ve seen since LeBron James.”
While it’s not quite too late for the 27-year-old Simmons to salvage what’s left of his NBA career, if he keeps getting hurt like this he could go down as one of the biggest busts of all time.