Brooklyn Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn said Ben Simmons likely won’t return this season.

The team said Friday it discovered a pinched nerve in his back that has been bothering him since last year, which would force him to be lost indefinitely.

Brooklyn Nets guard Ben Simmons before a game against the New York Knicks on February 13, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh)

Simmons has been out since February 15. Even before that, he was in and out of the lineup, playing in 42 games.

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Simmons missed the entire 2021-2022 season with what he said were mental health issues, missing a significant number of games due to injury since joining Brooklyn.

When he’s been on the court, he’s been a shell of himself. With the Philadelphia 76ers he averaged 15.9 points, 7.8 rebounds and 7.5 assists. Since he joined Brooklyn, those numbers have dropped to 6.9, 6.3 and 6.1.

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Simmons has dealt with back problems since last year, but has been out of the lineup since the All-Star break with a knee injury.

Simmons joined Brooklyn as the centerpiece of a blockbuster deal that sent James Harden to Philadelphia, ushering in the end of the Kevin Durant-Kyrie Irving era in Brooklyn.

Brooklyn Nets' Ben Simmons reacts during a game against the Philadelphia 76ers in the second quarter at the Wells Fargo Center on November 22, 2022 in Philadelphia.

Brooklyn Nets’ Ben Simmons reacts during a game against the Philadelphia 76ers in the second quarter at the Wells Fargo Center on November 22, 2022 in Philadelphia. (Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

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The three-time All-Star was the first overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.