Ben Simmons will reportedly need surgery and the theory that his recent weight gain caused his injury looks to be false.
The Sixers believe Simmons suffered an "acute injury" not related to him adding over 30 pounds of muscle. The rookie will undergo surgery next week, according to ESPN's Marc Stein.
Simmons played at LSU at 217 pounds and was up to 238 before the draft. On media day, he said he was up to 250.
The news of surgery is a little disappointing. As a guest on CSNPhilly's SportsNet Central, orthopedic surgeon Dr. Mark Schwartz, who is not treating Simmons, gave some insight into what a fracture to the fifth metatarsal could mean. Surgery could mean a lengthy recovery, according to Schwartz. If it is the dreaded Jones fracture, it'll be tough to know Simmons' timetable.
"The prognosis is still good, but we know that Kevin Durant had a Jones fracture and he was out for an entire season because of it not healing," Schwartz said. "But the prognosis is good, however, the question is whether it's going to require surgery or not."
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Per Stein, Simmons requires surgery. Schwartz said that surgery would involve inserting a screw to repair the fracture.
With how the Sixers have handled their prospects in the past and the way they've been cautious with the likes of second-year player Jahlil Okafor, they'll likely be conservative when assessing Simmons' possible return.
