Fansided

76ers rule out Ben Simmons for season

By Chris Manning

Jan 11, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Ben Simmons practices prior to a game against the New York Knicks at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 11, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Ben Simmons practices prior to a game against the New York Knicks at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Philadelphia 76ers have decided that Ben Simmons will not play this season.

According to Philadelphia 76ers GM Bryan Colangelo, rookie Ben Simmons will not play this season after x-rays revealed that his Jones fracture has not yet fully healed. Simmons, the top pick in last June’s Draft, hurt his ankle during Philadelphia’s final training camp scrimmage. He was originally expected to miss 3-4 months.

In the short term, this doesn’t really matter for the 76ers. Having just traded away Nerlens Noel and with Joel Embiid dealing with injuries, there wasn’t really a reason to have Simmons play this season unless he was fully healthy. Philadelphia, with more picks coming still, doesn’t need to rush anything. The safest course of action is to let Simmons heal and have him play when his foot is 100 percent. Per Sports Illustrated’s Jake Fischer, Simmons may play on the 76ers’ Summer League team. If that happens, it will be the first time he’s played in an actual game since last year’s summer league.

The problem here is how the Sixers have handled Simmons. He’s been working out on the foot recently and hinting at a return on his Instagram page. Couple that with their recent mishandling of Embiid’s meniscus injury and there’s a reason to be a bit skeptical of how the 76ers are handling their two franchise cornerstones.

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Simmons’ injury also is a bummer because it means Philadelphia has lost another top prospect for a full year. First, Noel missed his rookie season after tearing his ACL at Kentucky. Then Embiid missed his first two years due to various injuries. And with Simmons now out for the year, it’s another delay in the process. The talent is still there, but the process is again delayed. At least next year, with the possibility of two lottery picks form a stacked draft incoming, Philadelphia could finally see the past few years turn into something more than potential.