The Brooklyn Nets will be without Ben Simmons for the immediate future because of a nerve issue.

Simmons' agent, Bernie Lee, told Brian Lewis of the New York Post that "Ben had an MRI in the last couple of days, and it's shown us he's experiencing some nerve irritation on the lower left side of his body which is going to cause him to miss to some time as he rehabs and builds himself back."

Lee also said "he's not experiencing anything similar to what he's gone through in the past. This is something that the expectation is that with the proper kind of rehab he'll be able to resume his season in a short period of time without any issue."

Lewis provided more details, noting this latest setback will not require surgery like past ones did:

Brooklyn also released a statement, which said: "Nets guard/forward Ben Simmons, who has missed the past three games with a left hip contusion, underwent an MRI due to lingering discomfort in the area. The imaging revealed a nerve impingement in the lower left side of his back. Simmons will continue to receive treatment on both his hip and back. A status update will be provided in one week."

Unfortunately for both Simmons and the Nets, physical concerns are nothing new for the 27-year-old.

He missed what would have been his rookie campaign in 2016-17 because of foot issues, sat out the 2021-22 season in part because of his back injury and hasn't played more than 58 games in a season since the 2018-19 one.

Simmons appeared in 42 games for the Nets in 2022-23 and played in six games to this point in 2023-24.

The injuries are part of the reason he has not lived up to the expectations that accompanied him as the No. 1 overall pick of the 2016 NBA draft. While concerns with his shooting and ability to impact the game on the offensive end have also contributed, the LSU product has not been healthy enough to be a franchise-changing player for Brooklyn.

There was a time when he was just that for the Philadelphia 76ers as a three-time All-Star and two-time All-Defensive selection who also won the Rookie of the Year in 2017-18.

Yet that version of Simmons has been few and far between of late.

He averaged 6.5 points, 10.8 rebounds and 6.7 assists in the six games he played this season, underscoring his ability to at least impact the game in ways outside of just scoring. However, he is now sidelined again with another injury and will have to sit out at least the immediate stretch of games for a Nets team hoping to contend in the Eastern Conference.