Before the league entered a hiatus on March 11 due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, the Philadelphia 76ers were dealing with an injury to their All-Star point guard. With the time off, that injury is no longer an issue.
Ben Simmons has not played since February 22 after suffering what the team called a lower back impingement, but according to ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan, that injury is gone and if the season does resume, he will be out there playing.
MacMullan writes:
The hope of a mid-April return for the playoffs has been deferred, though sources tell ESPN that Simmons will be good to go as his lower back impingement has all but dissipated. “If the season resumes,” says a team source, “we’re expecting to have him.”
This is the one bit of good news during this unprecedented time period. There is a growing optimism around the league that the 2019-20 season can resume at some point, but it obviously depends on what happens with the virus. However, if by a miracle the league does resume, then the Sixers are in good shape with Simmons and Joel Embiid being healthy. They both were dealing with injuries before the hiatus. [lawrence-related id=29758,29765,29750]