How long is Ben Simmons out for? Injury update & expected return for Brooklyn Nets star

Ben Simmons of the Brooklyn Nets will miss a few games with a muscle strain in his leg, sources say in a report. Earlier this week, he was reported to be out for Wednesday's game against the Washington Wizards due to knee soreness.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Simmons won't be suiting up for the next few games. The guard has battled through ailments in his leg in the past few weeks, which has caused him to develop a muscle strain. It was also the cause of his knee soreness/swelling.

During the Nets' last game against the Orlando Magic, a 109-102 win on Monday, Simmons only played 11 minutes before heading to the locker room. The Australian guard registered four rebounds and three assists. The team's matchup against the Wizards will be Simmons' sixth missed game this season.

Despite missing games, he's one of the team's most reliable players in terms of availability. The three-time All-Star has played 17 games, averaging 8.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 5.8 assists. He still isn't attempting 3-pointers, but he's starting to become more aggressive attacking the basket.

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Playing Ben Simmons at center worked out well for the Nets

Brooklyn Nets player Ben Simmons

Ben Simmons has played decent basketball this season for the Nets. Although he hasn't been able to match his performances back when he was with the Philadelphia 76ers, Simmons' gradual improvement is being noticed. Part of his improvement is playing a backup role at center.

This isn't his fixed secondary position, but there have been situations when he was the man in the middle for long periods. A notable game where he played longer in the center position was against the Memphis Grizzlies on Nov. 20.

Nic Claxton wasn't in the game for a personal matter, which coach Jacque Vaughn saw as an opportunity to play Simmons at the five. Defensively, he was overpowered by Grizzlies center Steven Adams. He's notoriously known across the league as one of the strongest players and he proved that.

Adams was getting easy baskets and boxing out the former No. 1 pick with ease. Offensively, Simmons played better, finishing with 22 points, eight rebounds and five assists to help his team get the 127-115 win. This was also a much-needed win because it was Kyrie Irving's first game back after his suspension.

Simmons shot 11-13 from the field and played a great game overall. Although having him in the center position won't be a long-term fix for the team, it could be an option when nothing is going the Nets' way.

They're currently 11-11 and have gained momentum, which they were in desperate need of.

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