Written by Marc Stein at ESPN
Philadelphia 76ers prized rookie Ben Simmons is scheduled to undergo surgery next week on the broken bone he suffered Friday in his right foot, league sources told ESPN on Saturday.
The No. 1 overall pick is expected to miss about three months, a source told ESPN’s Jeff Goodman, which would peg his return in December or possibly even January.
Sources told ESPN on Saturday that doctors involved believe Simmons suffered an acute injury — caused by landing on another player’s foot — and not a stress reaction, and that the Sixers are supportive of a conservative timetable for his recovery.
Team president Bryan Colangelo said there was “no way” Simmons would be rushed back. He could miss months with this type of injury.
“I feel very badly for Ben to be in a situation to start his career this way. But this is an injury that he should come back from and have a very successful and long career,” Colangelo said.
Simmons told reporters last week that he weighed 217 pounds before Philadelphia drafted him in June and has gained 33 pounds over the three-plus months since, sparking speculation that the weight increase was a factor.
But sources told ESPN that Simmons weighed in at 240 pounds in July shortly after he was drafted when he played for Philadelphia’s summer league squad in Las Vegas — where he was lauded for his passing eye and movement — and reported to training camp earlier this week at 244 pounds.
Two sources with knowledge of doctor examinations of Simmons said Saturday that the injury is an acute fracture of the fifth metatarsal bone caused when he landed on the foot of teammate Shawn Long during a scrimmage Friday at Stockton University in New Jersey. The Sixers, wracked by injuries to several top draftees in recent years, were initially hopeful Simmons merely rolled his ankle.
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