Philadelphia 76ers rookie forward Ben Simmons continues to remain out with a foot injury suffered before the season began.
According to a report, he is headed back to have his foot checked out at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York “as early as next Monday” to see if the bone in his foot is fully mended.
This follows a January 23rd visit, which revealed his foot still wasn’t fully healed.
“Simmons suffered a Jones fracture of the fifth metatarsal in his right foot on Sept. 30, the final day of training camp,” wrote Keith Pompey of Philly.com. “The January doctor’s visit revealed an inside portion of the bone wasn’t fully mended, according to sources.”
Now we know why Simmons’ recovery is well beyond the initial timetable, which suggested he’d be ready to return in January.
When news that he had broken his foot broke to begin with, one report indicated Simmons’ agent was of the mind that his client should not play at all for the 76ers this year. That seemed like a far-fetched idea, especially when news broke that he could potentially return after the All-Star Break.
But now, perhaps it’s not so far-fetched an idea at all.
“The Sixers have said that they wanted him to participate in four to five scrimmages before he plays,” per Pompey. “However, there are only 26 games remaining in the season. So if the doctor isn’t comfortable where Simmons is in the healing process, his ability to scrimmage would most likely be further delayed.”
At this point, perhaps the best thing Philly can do for its star rookie is keep him out the rest of the year to ensure his foot is fully healed before attempting to push it in practice and scrimmages. Feet injuries are notoriously tricky things, and it’s better to be safe than sorry, especially given the fact that Simmons has a bright future and the 76ers aren’t in the running to make the playoffs this season with a record of 21-35, good for No. 13 in the east.