Sixers star Ben Simmons will have arthroscopic surgery on his injured left knee and may be lost for the rest of the season, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
The team announced today that Simmons will have a loose body removed from the knee. He suffered the injury in Wednesday’s game and was diagnosed with a subluxation of the left patella.
There’s no set timetable for how long Simmons will need to recover, but sources tell Wojnarowski that the Sixers would have to make a long playoff run for the former No. 1 pick to have any chance to return this season. Simmons is expected to leave the Walt Disney World complex in a few days to have the operation.
The resumption of the season was supposed to provide a fresh start for Simmons, who was sidelined with lower back pain when the hiatus began in March. He was moved to power forward as part of a lineup change and has adapted well to his new position.
The Sixers, currently tied for fifth in the East at 42-27, will go into the postseason without one of of their top weapons on both ends of the floor. Simmons averaged 16.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8.0 assists in 57 games and leads the league in steals at 2.1 per night.
The loss of Simmons means Al Horford returns to a starting lineup that now looks the way it did when the shutdown began. Horford posted 21 points and nine rebounds as a starter in last night’s win over Orlando.
“We need (Horford) more than we’ve ever needed him,” coach Brett Brown said after the game.
welp there goes philly in the 1st rd.
That will be their fans’ excuse when Boston wins in 4.
Houston fans could say the same thing if Harden were out for the playoffs.
And there goes Brett Browns job.
Wouldn’t it be a bit unfair to fire Brown after one of his top stars missed nearly the entire postseason? I’m not defending his coaching ability or anything, but it seems inevitable the Sixers will fail without Simmons in the mix
Didn’t Brown say he was going to make Ben take 3’s all season? Didn’t the two stars clash as season long? Aren’t the 6ers going to lose in the 1st round? Yeah, Brett Brown is done.
No, he only commented that Ben needs to take a three here and there.
Nope
It wouldn’t shock me considering the matchups
The team appears to no longer respond to Brett Brown. Since the restart the team lacks energy at the start of each game. Brown has also mis-identified who his bench rotation should have been all along.
The team needs another voice. I wish we could get Monty Williams back.
Simmons, Jaren Jackson, Jon Isaac, Pat Mccaw, all restart knees
Pretty sure both Isaac & McCaw have had knee issues before this season.
Not career-threatening issues. ACL tear
Now Embiid is hurt yet again, go figure.
Late on the 9th left the game, ankle
Never can tell with him!