While it may not be news to most by now, Ben Simmons missed the Philadelphia 76ers’ 2019/20 season, due to his recent knee surgery.
This came as a blow for the 24-year-old and the rest of the team, as he played 57 games for them at the beginning of the season. Averaging 16.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 8.0 assists in 35.4 minutes per contest, he was one of the Sixers’ star players.
After signing a $170 million extension over five years, this was a bitter disappointment for fans.
With that said, he is recovering well, and with a decent round of rehab, he should be match fit for next season.
Why did he need surgery?
After acquiring this injury, while playing the Washington Wizards during their seeding game, it became apparent that he needed an operation to correct it.
He suffered what is known as a patella subluxation, whereby his kneecap slipped out of its usual location only to go back again. Surgery was needed, though, to stop injury to the medial patellofemoral ligament.
This is essential because if left to heal without surgery, there is a very high chance instability could occur, setting back Simmons’ career for years.
Moreover, his injury was so substantial that the accident caused a piece of his kneecap cartilage to break off. It is for this reason that surgery was the only course of action to remove the broken cartilage.
What about rehab?
Although the surgery was a success, it is only part of the procedure. Extensive rehab is needed to restore his full range of motion.
Not only that, but the Australian will need considerable strengthening of his quad muscles to ensure that the knee will be adequately stabilized and match ready.
It has also been reported that Simmons will be focusing on improving his jump shot during recovery and overall ball education over this period. Brett Brown was quoted that Simmons will even be sitting in a chair to practice before he can walk.
How is his recovery looking
Reports indicate that his recovery is going well and, in these cases, should only last from four to six weeks. However, there are still questions about whether or not it will fully heal, and he will be ready to begin training again.
Basketball requires extreme athleticism, and the knees often take a pounding. There is no doubt he has a fantastic medical and rehabilitation team around him. With a bit of luck, he should be able to stay in motion and walk around.
Nonetheless, even with a speedy recovery, it was inevitable that he would sit out the rest of this season to ensure that he recovers appropriately and stop any further strain that could even preclude him from next season.
Chances of recovery
As previously stated, his chances of a full recovery are incredibly high. With the high-quality rehab he is receiving, there should be only a small chance of further injury.
If you are a betting person, you could visit gry hazardowe online casino to see what games are available to place bets on. While you cannot directly bet on Simmons’ recovery, there are plenty of other fantastic games.
For those betting on him returning to the 2020/21 season next year, you should have plenty of reasons to bet that he will play for the reason that his operation was somewhat routine. It depends more on the rehab than the actual procedure to get him playing ball once again.
Offseason
A more significant issue looming over the horizon is whether or not Elton Brand will split up Simmons and Embiid during offseason play.
Simmons has always suffered from a poor perimeter game, causing Embiid’s game to suffer as well. The two players have never engaged well. Simmons has been guilty of not providing enough space for his teammate to operate, and his injury might bring things to head.
What will force Brand’s decision will be whether or not Embiid will have more room to function without Simmons, and this could be enough to force Brand’s hand to part ways with Ben.
This will be an especially painful decision he could have to make as Simmons is well-known to as the NBA’s top defensive player. His ability to switch defense into offense has been the 76ers’ secret weapon to climb the rankings.
With all that said and done, if the stakes are just too high to part ways, they may keep him and try to make him give more space for Embiid.
