Philadelphia 76ers: Ben Simmons is ready to go if/when the season resumes
If, or when, the 2019-20 NBA season resumes, Ben Simmons will be healthy and ready to play for the Philadelphia 76ers.
Before the NBA hiatus, the Philadelphia 76ers were one of the most polarizing teams in the Eastern Conference. Many expected the Sixers to run through the Eastern Conference this season. Or, at least through every team without a Giannis Antetokounmpo.
However, the Sixers were everything but the dominant juggernaut that many expected them to be. Should the season continue, the Sixers would currently be in the sixth seed, at 39-26. Ben Simmons still hasn’t developed anything that resembles a jump shot and the frontcourt duo of Joel Embiid and Al Horford was, at best, questionable.
Despite that, many still believed the Sixers would be a handful in a seven-game playoff series. One thing that messed with that possibility though was the recent injury to Ben Simmons which forced him to miss essentially the last 10 games heading into the work stoppage.
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Simmons was diagnosed with a nerve impingement in his lower back and was expected to miss a few weeks, but there was no clear timetable on a possible return for the all-star. However, if you’re looking for any type of good news, it’s the fact that it appears Ben Simmons is healthy and ready to play should the 2019-20 NBA season (or playoffs) be resumed at some point this summer.
"[via ESPN]The hope of a mid-April return for the playoffs has been deferred, though sources tell ESPN that Simmons will be good to go as his lower back impingement has all but dissipated. “If the season resumes,” says a team source, “we’re expecting to have him.”"
Even though he often gets the short end of the stick and perhaps way too much blame for the team’s shortcomings, the bottom line is that the Sixers aren’t as dangerous when they don’t have a fully healthy (and engaged) Ben Simmons in the lineup.
During his third season in Philly, Simmons averaged 17 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists on a career-high 59 percent from the field. The jump shot may still not be one of his offensive weapons, but when he’s aggressive it’s hardly an issue.
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Hopefully, the 2019-20 NBA season is resumed at some point over the next couple of months. With a healthy Ben Simmons, the Sixers could, once again, emerge as a real threat in the Eastern Conference. And, who knows, maybe the hiatus was a blessing in disguise for Philly.