Is Ben Simmons playing tonight against the Utah Jazz? Latest on 3x All-Star's return after injury (January 29)

Ben Simmons is officially active for Monday’s game between the Brooklyn Nets and Utah Jazz. The often-injured young forward has been out since November 6 due to injury. He played in just six games this season before ending up back on the bench. Simmons has had a long history of missing time since coming into the league.

The extended absence was nothing new for Simmons. He played just 42 games last season with the Nets. He also missed the entire 2021-22 season due to health issues, both physical and mental. He missed the whole season due to back issues.

It now appears that he is gearing up for his return. The Nets moved his status to active and he should be ready to play against the Jazz on Monday. The game will tip off at 7:30 p.m. from Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

What happened to Ben Simmons?

The forward missed the last two months of the season due to a pinched back nerve. He has missed 38 total games this season due to the injury.

Simmons was practicing with the Long Island Nets, the team’s G League affiliate, on Saturday. Nets coach Jacque Vaughn said it was highly likely Simmons would play, although he is unlikely to start.

The Nets originally believed Simmons injury in November was in his hip. Further evaluation revealed a pinched nerve in his back. Simmons has dealt with back issues for years since being traded to Brooklyn from Philadelphia.

He has not played a full season since 2019 with the Sixers. It was his second year in the league. Since 2021, he has played in just 48 games.

Ben Simmons stats vs Utah Jazz

Ben Simmons has averaged 16.3 points, 8.4 rebounds and 6.9 assists in nine career games against the Utah Jazz. His best performance came in February 2021.

Simmons scored a career-high 42 points with just 12 free throws made. He added 12 assists and nine rebounds. He shot 57.7 percent from the field that night.

He also got it done on the defensive end. His defensive effort showed up in the stat sheet with one steal and one block.

He also scored 27 points against the Jazz back in 2017. He was 13-of-24 from the field that night.

The days of those kinds of shooting volume numbers seem long behind Simmons now. In the six games to start this season, Simmons averaged 6.7 attempts per game.

He had a season-high 11 points in a win against the Charlotte Hornets in the third game of the season back in October. Simmons scored in the single digits in four of his six games this season.