Ben Simmons will miss Friday night's game in Denver with a Grade 1 AC joint sprain in his right shoulder. He'll be re-evaluated before Sunday night's game vs. Charlotte, a team source tells NBC Sports Philadelphia.
Simmons appeared to suffer the injury with 11:04 in the first quarter Wednesday. He was bumped by Utah's Donovan Mitchell while jumping for a loose ball and landed awkwardly on his back. The All-Star point guard re-entered the game but appeared to be favoring the shoulder and was quickly subbed out. He headed back to the locker room and did not return.
The Sixers have a huge void to fill in Simmons' absence - especially on the defensive end. Brett Brown will have options. Does he use Josh Richardson as his starting one and start Furkan Korkmaz or Matisse Thybulle? Does he turn to Raul Neto, who's given the Sixers solid minutes over the last three games? Do we see Trey Burke get his first action of the season?
It will be sort of an interesting case study with Simmons out. The offense may be forced to slow down simply out of necessity. Simmons is one of the fastest players in the league and elite in the open court. With guys like Richardson, Neto or even Burke running the show, you're likely to see much more half-court offense. Maybe even a little more pick-and-roll.
The fact that Simmons has a chance to play Sunday seems like good news for the Sixers.
Click here to download the MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Flyers, Sixers and Phillies games easily on your device.
