Sixers vs. Wizards: 3 takeaways from third shaky performance in Orlando

3 of 4

(Photo by Ashley Landis-Pool/Getty Images) /

2. Simmons’ rough season gets rougher

This stinks. For Simmons, for the Sixers, and for the fans. Ben Simmons is out indefinitely due to a “subluxation of the left patella,” which he sustained in the third quarter of Wednesday’s win. In layman’s terms, he partially dislocated his kneecap.

Knees are tricky, and so are kneecaps. One would expect Simmons to miss a significant chunk of time, if not the whole season. Brown expects a clearer understanding of Simmons’ timeline within the next 24 hours. Until then, we are left to guess and pontificate.

More from Sixers News

This has been the best season of Simmons’ career. He’s averaging 16.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 8.0 assists on 58.0 percent shooting from the field. He’s also in the race for Defensive Player of the Year and is virtually guaranteed a spot on first team All-Defense. He is one of the premier two-way forces in basketball.

On the other hand, this has been Simmons’ first active season with significant injury trials. Before the four-month coronavirus shutdown, Simmons was expected to miss extended time due to a back injury. Until this season, Simmons was a model of durability.

Simmons has played heavy minutes his entire career. This recent stretch of injuries should force the Sixers to craft a more measured approach to Simmons’ playing time in the future. He’s not the indestructible force he once seemed to be.

As for the Wizards game, this was probably Simmons’ best performance in Orlando prior to the injury. He tallied eight points, six rebounds, and four assists in 22 minutes. His defense was improved, and he led an important second-quarter run sans Embiid.

Hopefully he’s back sooner than later. The Sixers need him.