Ben Simmons is still a ways off from making his NBA debut after suffering a Jones fracture in his right foot, but hey, he’s shooting free throws!
This is significant, apparently, and it makes Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown very happy, per CSN Philly’s Jessica Camerato:
Ben Simmons made another step toward his return — in sneakers. The first overall pick took free throws for the first time without a boot on Tuesday.
Simmons has not played this season after suffering a Jones fracture in his right foot on the final day of training camp. There still is no official timetable for his NBA debut.
“He walked out on the court in sneakers and he shot free throws,” Brett Brown said after practice. “That is significant to me. Then he walked over to my office and sat down looking like he was healthy. There was no boot, there was nothing earlier that he was wheeling.”
Simmons remains limited with his on-the-court activity.
“He’s still doing some spot shooting,” Brown said. “But as far as moving around, that has not happened yet.”
Baby steps, right?
If all goes according to plan, the Sixers will get a look at how Ben Simmons partners with Joel Embiid before the year is out. Any time those two get to spend together on the court is a win for this franchise.
Embiid has given them a legitimate franchise cornerstone, his two-year absence due to back and foot issues notwithstanding. The Sixers still have issues to figure out with the futures of Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel, not to mention who will play point guard moving forward, but Simmons, who will play some point guard, potentially gives them a second superstar cornerstone around which they can build. You can’t put a price on that—at least not until he’s healthy and on the floor and the Sixers know what they have in last June’s No 1 overall pick.
