Sixers

Ben Simmons to Undergo Knee Surgery

By Russ Joy

Published: Aug 8th, 2020 · 2:24 PM EDT

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Well this isn’t great. If you had hoped to see Ben Simmons again before the end of the “seeding games” taking place in the Orlando bubble, I’ve got some bad news for you per Shams Charania:

Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons will undergo surgery on his left knee, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 8, 2020

Simmons suffered a left knee subluxation aka a dislocated kneecap in a game against Washington. The hope was that he’d be able to take some time, ice it, rest, and work his way back onto the court, but per Woj, that wasn’t an option due to a “loose body” in the area:

Simmons will leave the NBA's Bubble for the procedure, and a timetable on a return is forthcoming. https://t.co/Vn7PsL3hZr

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 8, 2020

Could that be a chipped bone? I’m no medical expert. The question now is how long Simmons will be out. His initial MRI came back clean, so it remains to be seen if this is a quick clean-out that will take a few weeks to recover from, or something more serious that will knock him out of any elimination rounds in the playoffs.

The Sixers’ final seeding game is August 14 against the Rockets. That gives them four games to figure out a post-Simmons world and hope he’s back if the team can advance past the first round.

UPDATE: Not great, folks.

While the Sixers haven't ruled Simmons out for the season, sources say it would take a deep run into the playoffs to keep the door open on the possibility of a return — and that's still an iffy proposition. For now, the Sixers need to prepare for a postseason without Simmons.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 8, 2020

A deep run was questionable at full health. Now? Oof.