It’s been something I’ve been dealing with the last year-and-a-half,” Simmons said. “So yeah, just got to monitor it, stay on it.”

With Monday’s game against Chicago being the second night of a back-to-back, Ben Simmons has been ruled out. The official designation on the injury report for Simmons is a lower back injury, but this has been the standard procedure for Brooklyn all season as it pertains to his availability on back-to-back games.

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.