Things appear to be turning for the worst in Philadelphia, rookie Ben Simmons will miss his entire rookie season. This just seems like Deja Vu for the Sixers. After Joel Embid missing his entire first two seasons this has to be getting old. Some fucking luck the Sixers have with drafting players who are as fragile as a toothpick.
Sixers general manager Bryan Colangelo announced this morning that his broken right isn’t fully healed yet. Although I wouldn’t think this is a lingering problem it seems as if his starting date just kept getting pushed back further and further. Maybe it just needs more time to heal and they are being cautious which is more than likely. But Simmons wants to play, Simmons didn’ leave LSU to ride the pine. Simmons is eager to play and says the news was “heartbreaking”.
On the positive side, this could end up turning out well for the Sixers. The Sixers could inevitably end up with two top five first-round picks next year if all else remains the same. If the Los Angeles Lakers end up with one of the last three picks, that pick goes to Philadelphia. The Lakers currently have the third-worst record, but the lottery could change that. Now, with Embid and Simmons out and Noel traded they may not per say tank, but they shouldn’t win many games. They currently sit with the fifth worst record and also have rights to swap with Sacremento. Being now that the Kings traded their franchise player for a bag of skittles. The Kings now have a talent-deprived roster and look to be horrendous. So they have two outs more or less with their own first rounder.
You could look at the glass half full or half empty, but regardless there is cause for concern in Philly. It would be a shame to see such great young talents like Embid and Simmons have their careers derailed by nagging injuries. If all goes well they could have one of the youngest and most talented rosters next season with the likes of Joel Embid, Ben Simmons, Lonzo Ball, Josh Jackson, plus whoever they acquire through free agency. This team could be scary in the future or just a continuous joke as they’ve seemingly been since AI left.
