Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons has a nerve impingement in his lower back. He suffered the injury after scoring a layup in the first quarter of Saturday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Simmons is undergoing treatment and will be re-evaluated in two weeks.
Ben Simmons will be re-evaluated in 2 weeks for nerve impingement in lower back, but there's little expectation that he'd be ready to return to lineup that soon, sources tell ESPN. Doctors are hopeful treatment can drive improvement, but Sixers are preparing to play without him.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 25, 2020
However, Simmons isn’t expected to return after he is reevaluated. There is no timetable for his return. Simmons is averaging 16.9 points, 7.9 rebounds, 8.3 assists, and 2.2 steals this season.
So what does Simmons’s injury mean for the 76ers? The 76ers will be without their best player. Not only is Simmons good on offense, but he is also good on defense. The 76ers defense will struggle while Simmons is out. Without Simmons the 76ers defense is vulnerable and that could cause them to lose some games.
The 76ers will have to rely on Joel Embiid heavily on offense while Simmons is out. Embiid will need to play aggressively while Simmons is out.
“[Embiid] knows it more than I can say it,” Sixers coach Brett Brown said after Monday night’s game. “We talked a little bit about it. With the sort of news of Ben, and him not being there, it’s clear he’s got to come out and he’s got to play like he did tonight for the most part.”
Al Horford will have more playing time with Simmons being out. Horford had been benched for the three games before Monday night’s game. Second-year guard Shake Milton got to play point guard on Monday and had seven points, five rebounds, and six assists.
Simmons being out could hurt the 76ers chances of making the playoffs. They are currently 36-22 and are the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference. Yes, they can win and make the playoffs without Simmons.
However, they might not make it far in the playoffs without him.
The 76ers need Simmons to return as soon as possible. Otherwise, their season could end sooner than they want it to.
