With Philadelphia 76ers’ Ben Simmons expected to make his season debut soon, what sorts of standards should be set for a guy coming off a foot injury?
The timeline for Ben Simmons’ return is still up in the air. But, that does not mean that the return isn’t eminent. Upon his return, the national spotlight will be fully cast on the Philadelphia 76ers. With Joel Embiid‘s rise to stardom and the team’s play over the past few weeks came a new audience for the Sixers. Now, once he returns, what sort of results should fans expect out of Ben Simmons?
For a guy who hasn’t played an organized basketball game since Summer League, the pressure is on for one Ben Simmons. Garnering comparisons to LeBron James, Magic Johnson, and Lamar Odom hasn’t done him any favors. His talent makes him extremely valuable. With that said, what sort of results should Philadelphia 76ers fans expect?
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The injury itself occurred back in training camp. With the injury came a loss of hope for Philadelphia 76ers fans. The fanbase spent the last 3 years waiting for top draft prospects to recover from injuries. Another season of this would put the fanbase in a state of shock unlike anything ever seen in Philly.
Ben Simmons is not your average top draft pick. He was drafted first overall. This hasn’t happen in Philadelphia since Allen Iverson back in 1996. Simmons brought a sense that, maybe, the Sixers could start competing again. No longer did Philadelphia 76ers feel like they had to wait. Now the team could make strides towards a dynasty.
Thus, the injury felt like a punch in the gut. After 3 years of noncompetitive ball, the Sixers fanbase grew weary. How long could the fans wait? A fanbase’s patience can only take you so far.
But, now that Ben Simmons is on the verge of returning, the excitement has returned in Philly. But, what can we expect out of him? How much of the workload can he handle?
Recent Win Streak
Seriously, what is going on with the Philadelphia 76ers? If you polled 10 NBA fans at the start of the season, I bet they wouldn’t think that they’d be in the playoff hunt. At this point in time, the Sixers are 5.5 games out of the eighth seed in the eastern conference.
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Nobody expected this. If anything, most fans thought that Philly would probably win 20 games this year. The Sixers already have 15 wins this season. That’s 5 more wins than last year.
Interestingly enough, this is all without top prospect Ben Simmons. Without him, the team continues to excel. Imagine what the team will look like with him at 100%.
Monitored Minutes
Ideally, it makes sense that Ben Simmons will start the season on some sort of minutes restriction. Let’s not forget that he had foot surgery 4-5 months ago. It’s highly advised that he avoid going full speed until he’s ready to go.
According to coach Brett Brown, Ben Simmons will not return until after the All Star break. This could work to Simmons benefit. With more time to make sure the injury’s healed, Brown can make the definite decision as to what kind of workload he decides to give his star in the making.
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Conditioning could affect the for LSU Tiger as well. Since he hasn’t played organized ball since the summer, Simmons could experience situations where he feels winded or out of breath. Nerlens Noel had situations like that earlier this year. You could tell that he was huffing and puffing. Simmons could have a similar dilemma.
Similar to Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons could come back on a minutes restriction. Whether it starts at 18 minutes or 28 minutes, Simmons will most likely compete at a limited rate. Like his Process counterpart, the Philadelphia 76ers want to ensure that the key pieces stay in place. They don’t want any excess setbacks. They’ve already dealt with enough of those.
Simmons’ Success
So, what is a good season for Ben Simmons? Well, the remainder of the season will be interesting, for sure. The Philadelphia 76ers are once again in the playoff hunt. Regardless of whether or not that goal is attainable, the team will be a draw.
Ideally, this season should be about smoothly getting Ben Simmons back into game shape. In addition, there should be an emphasis on evaluating which pieces fit with the Simmons/ Embiid combination. Obviously, these two will stick around for the foreseeable future.
Let’s say he does get back into game shape and can consistently play 20-26ish minutes a night. What’s next? Well, that’s where statistics come in. If Ben Simmons can put up at least 12-14 points per game, 4-6 rebounds per game, and 5-7 assists per game, I would consider that a successful season. He needs to feel it out, more or less.
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The remainder of this season should definitely garner a lot of eyes on the city of Philadelphia. With former top draft prospect Ben Simmons looking to return soon, both local and national fans will marvel at how he approaches his debut. Obviously, it’s in both his and the Philadelphia 76ers’ best interest to make sure he doesn’t do anything drastic. They will handle the situation with kid gloves. Hopefully, things will work out in both sides’ favor.