We may have to wait until the start of the NBA’s 2017-18 to see Ben Simmons play basketball again.
The rookie has missed all of 2016-17 with a right foot injury, and the Philadelphia 76ers don’t yet know if he’ll be partaking in the summer-league festivities. Or maybe they do know, and they’re just not telling.
Per Philly.com’s Keith Pompey:
Sixers coach Brett Brown was asked about the possibility of Ben Simmons playing in the summer league.
“I think it would be good if he did,” Brown said. “But I wouldn’t say it is a prerequisite. Still, his health and the judgment of his health rules the day. I don’t know what that looks like when we are talking about the summer league.”
The Sixers are right to play it slow and cautious with Simmons. At full strength, he, like Joel Embiid, projects as a transcendent franchise cornerstone. The priority is getting him to play in games the count toward the standings—especially with the Sixers kind-of-sort-of wrapping up their extensive rebuild.
Philly already has a ton of promising young talent on its roster, will get another top-five pick in the draft and could snag yet another one if the Los Angeles Lakers’ selection fall outside the top three. The team will also enter the summer with a ton of cap space, giving it every tool possible to start chasing wins.
Simmons figures to be a huge part of that pursuit from the jump. Just as the Sixers treated Embiid with kid gloves, they’ll do the same for him. People have questioned their medical staff, and that might be fair. But we’re not here to question the merits of their logic and practices. Logistically speaking, any team would play things slow with Simmons, so it’d almost be a huge surprise if he’s suiting up for summer-league action.
