A few NBA teams will benefit from the long layoff before the restart of the 2019-20 season. The Philadelphia 76ers could be one of them, as they could get star point guard Ben Simmons back on the court when the season resumes in late July.
Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated spoke to Brown and gathered the 6-foot-10 floor general will play, though he will be slowly incorporated back to regular form:
“My opinion, and this is not confirmed yet, is that we are going to be able to inch him back into this,” Brown said. “Is he going to be 100%, I don’t expect that. But I think he is going to be available.”
Mannix doesn't expect to see Simmons returning and going all-out for 30-35 minutes per game, but just how Simmons returns will play a big factor in how far they can go.
The Sixers are not at palpable risk of falling out of the playoff picture, so each one of their eight regular-season games will be trying to inch closer to a higher seed.
While realistically they can hope to get as high as the fourth seed in the East, seeding is not nearly as important as bringing a fully healthy team to the playoffs — where they can potentially make some waves.
Simmons has been out with a pinched nerve in his back since Feb. 22, an injury that forced him to leave the game against the Milwaukee Bucks in the first quarter as the Sixers came back from the All-Star break.
Philadelphia has been trotting along since, but the club will need the barreling dynamo back on the court in full health if they are to get past the first round.
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