The Philadelphia 76ers All-Star forward Ben Simmons will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his left knee and will likely miss the rest of the season, sources told ESPN.
Simmons will remove a loose body from his left knee in the coming days, and only a deep playoff run by Sixers could hold a cheerful hope of his return this season, sources said. Even then, his return from the procedure – expected to take place outside the Disney campus in the coming days – is largely expected to come next season.
The Sixers are now preparing for a postseason run that will come without Simmons, one of the league’s most talented and versatile weapons.
The loose body was the result of a subluxation of left patella suffered in Wednesday’s victory over the Washington Wizards. A subluxation of the patella means that the kneecap appeared out of place but returned on its own manhood.
The Sixers had moved Simmons to the power forward spot, and now the team’s offensive focus is turning entirely to All-Star center Joel Embiid. The Sixers will suffer significantly on the defensive end without Simmons, and offensively they count on a lineup of shots around Embiid that could give him more room to operate around the court.
The injury also means the return of Al Horford in the starting lineup for Philadelphia. Horford was replaced in the starting five by guard Shake Milton when Simmons was pushed to the front after the Sixers arrived in Orlando, but has now started back alongside Embiid.
The Sixers have struggled to maximize the talents of both great men when they shared the court together since signing Horford as a free agent last summer. That led to Brown trying to limit the amount of time they would play together going forward. Now he has little choice but to try to make it work.
Horford started next to Embiid and played pretty well in the 108-101 victory in Philadelphia over the Orlando Magic on Friday, finishing with 21 points and nine rebounds in 30 minutes.
“We need [Horford] more than we ever need him, “Brown said afterward.
ESPN’s Tim Bontemps contributed to this report.
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