Philadelphia 76ers playing the waiting game again, this time with Ben Simmons
Entering the NBA’s restart bubble, there was a case to be made that the Philadelphia 76ers would emerge as one of the most dangerous dark horse teams in the Eastern Conference. After underperforming for much of the regular season (before the hiatus), the Sixers were finally healthy and were as talented as any other team (on paper) in the NBA.
Despite a disappointing loss in their reopener against the Indiana Pacers, the Sixers had put together back-to-back wins in the bubble and were beginning to play better on both ends of the floor.
However, in the process, in their win against the Wizards Wednesday afternoon, Ben Simmons went down with what appeared to be a non-contact lower leg injury. It’s now being reported that Simmons suffered a subluxation of the left knee cap. Essentially, Simmons partially dislocated his knee cap.
How much time will Simmons be out of the Philadelphia 76ers lineup?
The good news is that there’s no ligament damage (per Shams Charania), but there’s still no projected timetable for his return until both Simmons and the Sixers decide on treatment options. No two injuries are ever exactly the same, but he’s likely to miss at least some time.
Who knows if that includes a potential first-round series against the Miami Heat, Pacers, or Boston Celtics. If so, that would certainly change the dynamic in any of those series.
There’s simply not enough information being reported that would suggest Simmons is going to miss significant time, but there’s no question that it’s a possibility.
Ugh. Andrew Bynum sufferered the same knee injury in 2008. It was reported at the time as “at least eight weeks” before he could return. Hopefully Ben Simmons is able to recover and come back 100% healthy. https://t.co/j5Lk02NUAN
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) August 6, 2020
Once again, the Sixers are forced to play the waiting game when it comes to an injury. This time it just happens to be Ben Simmons. The timing of this injury is extremely unfortunate and will only complicate things further for the team. If you’re looking for any sliver of good news it has to be the fact that the team had recently moved Simmons to a power forward role and has Shake Milton ready to step-in as the starting point guard.
I suppose Philly has to decide whether they will insert Al Horford back into the starting lineup, despite the fact that he and Joel Embiid haven’t been the greatest of fits next to each other during the season.
Other will certainly have to step up in Simmons’ absence, and hopefully, it’s a short one. The first on this list of players has to be Joel Embiid. He knows that. The Sixers know that. Over the next 24 hours, or so, we’ll get a better understanding of how long Ben Simmons will be out. Until then, the Sixers will hold their collective breath.