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The Philadelphia 76ers were shorthanded against the Denver Nuggets on Saturday and the same will be the case on Sunday. According to The Athletic's Shams Charania, Ben Simmons will be out for his second consecutive game due to an ailing knee injury.
76ers star Ben Simmons did not travel to Atlanta and will miss Monday’s game against the Hawks due to treatment on his knee, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium. He will be evaluated day to day.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 10, 2021
Ahead of Saturday's game versus the Nuggets, the Sixers announced that Joel Embiid and Simmons would be out with injuries. At the same time, they were without a handful of players due to the league's health and safety protocols stemming from COVID-19.
The worrisome aspect of Simmons' injury is that it is a knee injury, which is what caused him to miss a decent portion of the 2019-20 season. Last August, Simmons underwent surgery on his injured knee and was unable to be active in any of Philadelphia's playoff games last season.
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With Simmons on the floor to begin this season, the Sixers looked like a much-improved team with new head coach Doc Rivers at the helm. Philadelphia boasted a league-best 7-2 record in their first nine games before falling to Denver with a shorthanded rotation.
In the first nine games of the season, Simmons was producing an average of 13.4 points, 8.8 rebounds, and seven assists per game. His ability to facilitate the ball coupled with the new shooters on the roster looked to be a recipe for success for the Sixers.
As of this moment, Simmons is set to be evaluated day-to-day before he makes a return to the court. Until Simmons makes enough progress with his knee, rookie Tyrese Maxey could continue to see an expanded role for Philadelphia.
