Brooklyn Nets Injury Report (Jan. 8): Latest on D'Angelo Russell and Ben Simmons' status 

When D'Angelo Russell joined the Brooklyn Nets following a trade with the Los Angeles Lakers on Dec. 29, the team could once again boast two former All-Stars on their roster. However, both players have been plagued by injuries in recent games

Russell, dealing with a right shin contusion, has been ruled out of the Nets' home game against the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Simmons is listed as questionable due to a calf injury, though he has missed Brooklyn's last three games.

Russell had a rough two-game stretch last week. On Thursday, as the Nets tried to contain a Milwaukee Bucks comeback in the fourth quarter, Russell lost mobility and injured himself. The Nets guard had to be carried off the court and into the locker room, reportedly due to a bad cramp. Despite DLo's injury, the Nets held on to take the 113-110 win.

The next day, in the first half of a home stand against the Philadelphia 76ers, Russell sustained a right shin contusion. He ended up playing just 14 minutes that night, which saw the Sixers defeat the Nets 123-94.

Since returning to Brooklyn, the 28-year-old Russell has played in three games, with his stint in the 76ers matchup being cut short. Wednesday's game against the Pistons will be his second missed game.

Ben Simmons has already played more games in 2024-25 compared to last season

Simmons, meanwhile, has been a more dependable player this season in terms of availability. Out of the 36 games that the Nets have played, Simmons has competed in 26 and started in 20.

His numbers, however, are nowhere near where they were during his peak in Philadelphia. This season, Simmons is averaging just 5.9 points and 5.2 assists in 25.1 minutes of action. The silver lining: Simmons is dishing out 6.9 assists per game, his best production in this category since the 2020-21 season.

Though the 6-foot-10 Aussie has played more games than he missed in 2024-25, January has not been kind to him thus far. After seeing action during Russell's Nets return against the Toronto Raptors on New Year's Day, Simmons went on to miss three straight games.

The team announced that injury management would keep him out of the Jan. 2 matchup against the Bucks. In the next two games, a calf injury emerged as the primary concern. However, with Simmons now listed as "questionable" for the game against the Pistons, there's a possibility he could return to the court in Detroit.