Nets’ Ben Simmons remains out with no timetable for return

If ever there was a “non-update update,” this would be it:

The Nets say there is still no timetable for the return of Ben Simmons from back and knee issues that have sidelined him for a month now. That means he may or may not return this season or for the playoffs. Is that vague enough for everyone? Here is what Jacque Vaughn said Sunday, via Brian Lewis at the New York Post.

“Yeah, I think first of all I’ll just be pretty simple. He’s still managing his back and knee soreness,” Vaughn said. “He’s back home in Brooklyn. We’ll get a chance to kind of see where he’s at when we get back home after this trip.”

The Nets return home Wednesday from a five-game road trip (they are 3-1 on it so far, making it more likely they will hold on to a top-six seed).

Simmons has been in and out of the Nets lineup all season due to injuries, and that along with his offensive struggles — he has been hesitant to shoot outside a few feet from the basket and is averaging 6.9 points a game — has reduced him to playing as a backup center. When he plays at all.

Simmons has two fully guaranteed years and $78 million remaining on his contract after this season.