The Philadelphia 76ers announced forward Ben Simmons will not play for the remainder of the season, according to Tom Moore of Calkins Media. The decision to hold him out comes after an October surgery to repair a Jones fracture in his right foot during training camp that is still healing.
Ben Simmons injury will keep him out for the rest of the NBA season, 76ers announce
Simmons will miss his entire rookie season recovering from a foot injury.
Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
He is not expected to undergo another procedure, per Moore.
Simmons was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft, but he has not played in a game this season. His procedure often follows a timeline of three-to-four months recovery, according to CSN Philly, but a foot scan in late January revealed that his injury had not yet fully healed.
The Sixers maintained Simmons’ healing was going as planned:
But his return date has been pushed back multiple times, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey, as the team discovered its forward’s foot was not healing properly. It is clear Simmons’ recovery is behind schedule, though many felt there was no need to rush the promising rookie back into a season far from playoff expectations.
The 6’10 Simmons spent one season at LSU, where he averaged 19.2 points, 11.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists and two steals per game as a freshman point forward. He is expected to join Sixers standout Joel Embiid in an effort to push the Philadelphia franchise back to the prominence it once held during Allen Iverson’s tenure years ago.
See More:
