Brooklyn Nets announce Ben Simmons will undergo surgery

Former LSU Tiger Ben Simmons drew the ire of critics and media across the country during the 2022 NBA Playoffs when he recently decided to not play in the Boston Celtics’ series due to a back injury. Well, it appears the injury was more serious than many believed, as the Brooklyn Nets star will undergo a microdiscectomy procedure, the team announced in a press release on Wednesday evening. The procedure will be performed to alleviate the pain caused by the herniated disc in Simmons’ back.

The statement reads: “After consultation with multiple back specialists, it has been determined that the best course of action for Ben’s long-term health is for him to undergo surgery. The microdiscectomy procedure, scheduled for Thursday, is designed to alleviate pain caused by the herniated disc in Ben’s back. Further updates will be provided following the procedure.”

The end to the 2022 NBA Playoffs was a remarkably disappointing one for Nets’ fans–as they saw a team with superstars like Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving get swept 4-0 by Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics in the first round. Simmons did not play at all, and fans and media have become quite frustrated with the former LSU standout. On top of that, fans were quite frustrated with Kyrie Irving being a “part-time” player for the regular due to him not being vaccinated for Covid-19. Then, they dealt with the drama of James Harden being unhappy and eventually dealt him to the 76ers for Simmons.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Simmons is expected to need three to four months to make a full recovery from his back surgery. Then the expectation is that he will be able to return to the roster, healthy and ready to go well ahead of training camp. According to the On3 Consensus Rankings for the 2015 class, Simmons was rated as the No. 1 overall prospect in America coming out of prestigious Montverde Academy (Montverde, Florida).

In his lone season with the LSU Tigers (2015-2016), he averaged 19.2 points, 11.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 2.0 steals per game.