Philadelphia 76ers fans have been patiently waiting to see what No. 1 overall draft pick Ben Simmons looks like on an NBA court, and one reporter believes they may have to wait until next season.
The latest reports about Simmons, who is rehabbing from a foot injury, claimed he could make his NBA debut shortly after the All-Star break. Based on some of the things the team has said recently, it does not sound like that is going to happen. As Tom Moore of The Intelligencer notes, 76ers general manager Bryan Colangelo said over the weekend that he is looking forward to seeing Simmons play alongside Joel Embiid “if (he) comes back and has an opportunity to play.” Head coach Brett Brown gave an equally cautious assessment of Simmons on Monday, saying the 20-year-old is “moving forward but at a very slow pace — our pace.”
In other words, Simmons isn’t on the verge of being activated. Brown said he would need to take part in “at least” five full 5-on-5 scrimmages in practice before being inserted into the lineup, and the coach added that he doesn’t envision Simmons being ready to participate in any during the All-Star break.
Simmons, who underwent surgery to repair a Jones fracture in his foot on Oct. 4, could also be facing outside pressure to sit out until next season. Moore explains:
Conspiracy theorists wonder if Simmons’ off-court team, which includes Nike, would prefer he not play this season because he’d get more exposure in 2017-18 and could still be NBA Rookie of the Year. Unlike in Major League Baseball and the NHL, an NBA player loses his eligibility when he appears in his first game.
Either way, Simmons, who was the No. 1 pick in June’s draft after one year at Louisiana State, would be in line for a nine-figure contract extension in 2020 because injured players are paid the same as their healthy counterparts. Being hurt doesn’t affect that time frame.
The 76ers want to see Simmons in NBA action before going into the draft, otherwise they are basically starting fresh next year. If another big man on the team is traded as expected, Philly will want to assess what it has to make an offseason plan. For that reason, having Simmons return to a team that isn’t going to the playoffs makes sense. But if there is even a slight chance of a setback, the decision is an easy one.
