The Philadelphia 76ers’ star point guard is ready to return.
The COVID-19 pandemic has been anything but fortuitous, but for the Philadelphia 76ers, there is at least one positive sliver of news. According to ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan, the nerve impingement in Ben Simmons‘ lower back has “all but dissipated.”
That means when (or more appropriately, if) the NBA season resumes, Philadelphia will have a healthy Simmons in the rotation. The language of the report doesn’t quite give the all clear — “all but dissipated” — so there is some purposeful grey area to acknowledge, but in the same article, a team source told MacMullan the team expects Simmons to play when (if) the seasons starts back up.
This is certainly a positive for the Sixers, who dearly missed Simmons before the season was suspended. He’s not only a frontrunner for first team All-Defense honors, but Simmons continues to assert his will as Philadelphia’s playmaking engine. Despite his very visible flaws — which MacMullan’s article hits hard — Simmons is a cornerstone of the Sixers’ championship pursuit.
Back injuries are tricky, and the Sixers were probably taking the cautious root before the suspension of play. Extra time to get his back in shape is a positive for Simmons, who relies a lot on his physicality. Simmons competes harder than most, and you need a healthy back to accomplish the athletic feats he does on a nightly basis.
In 54 games this season, Simmons averaged 16.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 8.2 assists. He’s shot 58.5 percent from the floor, picked 2.1 pockets a night, and appeared in his second consecutive All-Star Game. Even if the season ended prematurely, it would go down as another positive mark on Simmons’ burgeoning resume.
There is a chance the NBA goes straight to the postseason, in which case Simmons’ immediate return becomes even more important. He’s who the Sixers rely on to repress the opposition’s top perimeter scorer. He’s also a dynamic offensive engine, even in a more restrictive postseason setting. The 2019 playoffs were a prime example — he was big in the Toronto series.
The Sixers have their point guard locked and loaded. It’s a rare nugget of good news in a trying time. Stay safe, stay healthy.