It appears more and more unlikely that Ben Simmons will get on the court for the Philadelphia Sixers this season.
Head coach Brett Brown says that the top overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, who broke his right foot on the last day of training camp, is nowhere close to five-on-five action.
Ben Simmons debut this season seems less likely. @BobCooney76 has the story: https://t.co/3rNOUywEFr pic.twitter.com/D9TVFB6qkZ
— Philly.com Sports (@phillysport) February 13, 2017
The Sixers are being understandably taking extra caution with the 20-year-old.
Per the Philly Inquirer:
“I don’t think so,” Brown said. “I feel like he’s moving forward, but to say that we believe he’s going to be ready for 5-on-5 during the All-Star break would be misleading. I don’t see that. […] He is moving forward but it’s at a very slow pace, our pace. I think when we all get back and he’s around the team again, because it’s not an ideal situation to manufacture 5-on-5 during a break, then we can better craft and construct to allow the return to play to be more responsible.”
Asked last week if he would like to see Joel Embiid and Simmons on the floor together this season, president Bryan Colangelo quickly said yes, that evaluating the two of them together to see what sort of pieces the team should surround those cornerstones with was paramount.
Embiid will miss the remaining two games before the All-Star break and not participate in any of the weekend activities in New Orleans. After Wednesday, the 7-2 center will have missed 11 consecutive games and 14 of the past 15 as he rests the bone bruise and minor meniscus tear in his left knee.
