Simmons has been ruled out for Saturday's game against the Heat due to lower back soreness, Sharif Phillips-Keaton of USA Today reports.
Simmons was initially slated to return Saturday from a three-game absence due to an illness. However, he will not be available off the bench due to a lingering lower back issue, and his next chance to play will be Monday against the Kings. Day'Ron Sharpe, Jalen Wilson and Ziaire Wiliams are candidates to see an uptick in playing time due to Simmons' late scratch.
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Nets' Ziaire Williams: Not starting vs. MIami
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Williams is not in the starting lineup for Saturday's game against the Heat, C.J. Holmes of the New York Daily News reports.
Williams is returning from a two-game absence due to a sprained left ankle. While he's been a regular starter of late, he'll be part of the second unit in this one. Williams is averaging 11.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game since the beginning of January.
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Nets' Ben Simmons: Coming off bench against Miami
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Simmons isn't in the starting five for Saturday's game versus the Heat, C.J. Holmes of the New York Daily News reports.
Despite being upgraded to available, Simmons will come off the bench Saturday. Simmons is averaging 3.8 points, 7.2 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.0 steals in 20.2 minutes across his seven appearances off the bench this season.
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Nets' Tyrese Martin: Coming off bench Saturday
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Martin is not in Brooklyn's starting lineup against Miami on Saturday, C.J. Holmes of the New York Daily News reports.
Martin made his sixth start of the season Wednesday against the Suns, but he missed nine of his 10 field-goal attempts and finished with two points, seven rebounds and two assists in a 108-84 loss. Martin will retreat to the bench Saturday while D'Angelo Russell enters the starting lineup following a one-game absence due to personal reasons.
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Nets' D'Angelo Russell: Starting Saturday vs. Miami
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Russell is in the Nets' starting lineup against the Heat on Saturday, C.J. Holmes of the New York Daily News reports.
Russell did not play against the Suns on Wednesday for personal reasons, but he will return Saturday and enter the Nets' starting five. In the seven games since being acquired by the Nets from the Lakers on Dec. 29, Russell has averaged 14.6 points, 8.3 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.6 steals over 24.4 minutes per contest.
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Nets' Ziaire Williams: Officially good to go
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Williams (ankle) is available for Saturday's game versus the Heat.
Williams has been upgraded from probable to available Saturday after missing Brooklyn's previous two outings due to a sprained left ankle. Williams has started in his last nine appearances, so he will likely enter the starting five against Miami.
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Nets' D'Angelo Russell: Available Saturday
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Russell (personal) has been cleared to play in Saturday's game against the Heat, Brian Lewis of the New York Post reports.
After missing Wednesday's loss against the Suns for personal reasons, Russell will return to the floor Saturday to face Miami. The 28-year-old guard is averaging 12.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game, shooting 41.2 percent from the floor and a career-low 34 percent from beyond the arc this season.
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Nets' Ben Simmons: Good to go Saturday
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Simmons (illness) is available for Saturday's game versus the Heat, Brian Lewis of the New York Post reports.
Simmons has been upgraded from questionable to available Saturday after missing Brooklyn's previous three contests due to an illness. Simmons has started in 24 of his 30 appearances this season, so he will likely enter the starting five against Miami.
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Nets' Cam Thomas: Won't face Miami on Saturday
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Thomas (hamstring) has been ruled out for Saturday's game against the Heat, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.
Thomas has been participating in non-contact drills, though he will be out until further notice due to the left hamstring strain, per Erik Slater of ClutchPoints.com. The club will likely ramp the 23-year-old back up to playing form slowly since he has played in just two games since Nov. 25.
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Nets' Ziaire Williams: Likely to play Saturday
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Williams (ankle) is probable for Saturday's game against the Heat, Erik Slater of ClutchPoints.com reports.
After missing Brooklyn's last two games with a sprained left ankle, Williams is likely to return to action Saturday. With Ben Simmons questionable with an illness against Miami, Williams could have more playing time on his plate if he's ultimately upgraded to available. Over his last eight games, Williams has averaged 11.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.9 three-pointers in 25.7 minutes.
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Nets' Ben Simmons: Questionable against Miami
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Simmons (illness) is listed as questionable for Saturday's game against the Heat, Erik Slater of ClutchPoints.com reports.
After missing the last three games for the Nets, Simmons' status for Saturday's matchup against Miami is uncertain. When he's been healthy this season, the 28-year-old has played well, averaging 7.1 assists per game, his highest average in that category since the 2019-20 season when he averaged 8.0 dimes with the 76ers.
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Nets' D'Angelo Russell: Questionable for Saturday
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Russell (personal) is questionable for Saturday's game against the Heat, Erik Slater of ClutchPoints.com reports.
Russell missed the 108-84 loss to the Suns on Wednesday, and the questionable tag suggests there is a chance of the floor general missing another game. If he doesn't play Saturday, it'd mean that Russell would have missed seven of Brooklyn's last 11 outings.
Coach Jordi Fernandez said Friday that Johnson (ankle) will not play in Saturday's matchup against the Heat and will be re-evaluated sometime next week, Sharif Phillips-Keaton of USA Today reports.
Johnson will miss his second consecutive contest due to the right ankle sprain, and it wouldn't be surprising if he also misses Monday's game against the Kings at the very least as the club works him back to form. With the 28-year-old sidelined, Jalen Wilson, Tyrese Martin and Tosan Evbuomwan are all candidates for an uptick in playing time.
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Nets' Trendon Watford: Remains out for Saturday
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Watford (hamstring) has been ruled out for Saturday's game against the Heat, Sharif Phillips-Keaton of USA Today reports.
Watford will miss a 20th straight game for the Nets while dealing with a left hamstring strain. Even though he's been out for an extended period of time, the 24-year-old might be back sooner rather than later, as he is being considered day-to-day moving forward, which is a good sign for Brooklyn.
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Nets' Tyrese Martin: Flounders with two points in start
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Martin ended with two points (1-10 FG, 0-5 3Pt), seven rebounds and two assists across 31 minutes during Wednesday's 108-84 loss to Phoenix.
Making his sixth start of the season in place of the injured Cameron Johnson (ankle) on Wednesday, Martin floundered with his lowest scoring output in a starting role this season. Across his six appearances with Brooklyn's first unit in 2024-25, Martin has averaged 10.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 0.8 steals and 2.0 three-pointers in 31.5 minutes. With Johnson's name swirling around in trade rumors ahead of the Feb. 6 deadline, Martin could still find himself making additional starts for the rebuilding Nets later during the second half of the campaign.
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Nets' Jalen Wilson: Serviceable in start Wednesday
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Wilson registered 15 points (5-12 FG, 1-8 3Pt, 4-4 FT), four rebounds, three assists and one steal across 34 minutes during Wednesday's 108-84 loss to the Suns.
Despite struggling from downtown, Wilson was serviceable during his 10th start of the season for the rebuilding Nets. Wednesday marked his eighth time in those 10 appearances where he reached double-digit scoring figures, and the 24-year-old has averaged 11.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.7 steals and 2.1 three-pointers in 33.5 minutes with Brooklyn's first unit this year. Although Wilson is worth streaming in deep fantasy leagues when the team is missing several key players, his value is more or less limited to three-point shooting.
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Nets' Keon Johnson: Steps up with team-high 20 points
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Johnson ended Wednesday's 108-84 loss to Phoenix with a team-high 20 points (9-16 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 1-1 FT), seven rebounds, two assists and one steal in 30 minutes.
With most of Brooklyn's starters in street clothes Wednesday, Johnson gave the injury-riddled team a lift with a team-high 20 points, albeit in a losing effort. The former first-rounder has seen an extended run with this rebuilding club lately, averaging 12.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.6 three-pointers in 27.5 minutes over his last 11 games. Since his nightly usage mostly depends on who is healthy for the Nets, however, Johnson is likely to remain a hit-or-miss fantasy option going forward.
