After a 5-0 start to the season, the Sixers have dropped back-to-back games to the Suns and Jazz on a west coast road trip. In Wednesday night’s loss to Utah, All-Star point guard Ben Simmons was forced to leave the game with a shoulder injury.
An MRI revealed a Grade 1 AC joint sprain, and according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, the injury will keep Simmons off the floor for the next three games.
Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons is likely to miss the next three games with a Grade 1 AC joint sprain in his right shoulder, league sources tell Yahoo Sports.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) November 7, 2019
If that timetable is correct, that would mean Simmons will miss Friday’s game in Denver and then a pair of home games against the Hornets and Cavs, before returning to action on Nov. 13 in Orlando against the Magic. Simmons is off to a relatively quiet start to the season, as he hasn’t appeared quite as comfortable offensively with all the new pieces on the Sixers, so hopefully once he returns from his shoulder issue he’ll be able to find some rhythm and return to the form that made him an All-Star a year ago.
Simmons is averaging 13.1 points, 6.9 assists, 5.4 rebounds, and 3.0 steals per game — with those averages obviously affected by his 10-minute outing on Wednesday. His defensive impact remains tremendous, but the offensive chemistry of the new-look Sixers is still a work in progress.
