Ben Simmons, Keon Johnson’s exits bring additional Nets injury worries

Already deprived of much of their size, the shorthanded Nets will be without Ben Simmons on Monday in Chicago, though they’re hopeful of having Cam Johnson.

Simmons left Sunday’s loss to Orlando with a knee contusion and Johnson checked out with 18 seconds left after injuring his left ankle.

“I just kind of tweaked it. I went to stop and it rolled over a little bit. I’ll be fine. I’m gonna do everything I can right now to get it ready for [Monday] and evaluate that. But I’m gonna fight for it,” said Johnson, who sprained his right ankle in last Monday’s win at Golden State.

“It’s the opposite. I’m even now, so I’ll be alright,” Johnson quipped.

Simmons logged just 11:39, finishing scoreless but with five assists. His night was cut short by a knee contusion.

“That was something I was dealing with prior to the game, so I was just trying to see if I could go on it, and it was just getting too much. So, made the decision,” Simmons said. “It’s been something I’ve been dealing with the last year-and-a-half. So yeah, just got to monitor it, stay on it.”

The problem cropped up while Simmons was compensating for his well-publicized back woes.

“It’s all connected. It’s just managing it, I’m playing more minutes, so my body is trying to catch up,” Simmons said.

He still hasn’t been cleared to play both ends of back-to-backs, so he was always set to sit out in Chicago.

---

Nets big man Day’Ron Sharpe is inching closer to his season debut. He’s been sidelined since camp with a strained left hamstring, but will travel to Chicago on Monday, and could finally play at some point this week.

“Yeah, at some point this week we’ll give an update, and we could see him at some point this week,” coach Jordi Fernandez said. “Right now, he’s going through the process of going through contact drills. Then [he’ll] see how he feels after that, then take the next step.

“So, that’s as much as I can tell you. He’s doing great. He’s got great energy. His personality is great for the group. Being part of the group throughout the trip [last week] was important, so you can see what’s going on and how it feels to be part of the group. Now he’s getting close. So, excited to see you back.”

Understandably so. The Nets got eviscerated, 52-33, on the boards Sunday, and Sharpe was third in the league in rebound percentage last season (.199), trailing only Andre Drummond and Jusuf Nurkic. He was also second in offensive rebound percentage (.163), behind only Drummond.

---

Dennis Schroder had 20 points and seven assists in his return from personal leave. The personal situation is not expected to cost him any more time.

“We respect his privacy. We have him back, so we’re happy to have him right now here,” Fernandez said. “So, right now is as much as I can tell you.”