76ers Injury Report: Thybulle Progressing, Simmons Misses Practice

The Philadelphia 76ers injury report grew on Monday as Ben Simmons missed practice. Meanwhile, Matisse Thybulle continues to progress with his setback.
76ers Injury Report: Thybulle Progressing, Simmons Misses Practice
76ers Injury Report: Thybulle Progressing, Simmons Misses Practice /

The beginning of a tough road trip for the Philadelphia 76ers couldn't have started any worse. With back to back games in the state of Florida, the Sixers failed to come away with a win. First, they dropped their second game against the Orlando Magic this season. Then followed up with an overtime loss to the Miami Heat.

Now, the Sixers are patiently waiting for their flight to Indiana on Monday afternoon as they are set to take on the Pacers for a New Year's Eve afternoon matchup. Before the Sixers take flight, though, they held a practice on the Miami Heat's home court so they can prepare to get back on their feet before attempting to bounce back on Tuesday.

Once again, 76ers' rookie Matisse Thybulle wasn't a participant in practice. As the injured guard is healing up from his knee sprain, he is still looking for ways to develop his game without causing further damage to his lower-body.

Thybulle has missed an entire week's worth of games already and will miss this week's too. Next week, the rookie will have the opportunity to receive a re-evaluation from the Sixers' medical staff, and they will determine whether he needs more time to heal, or if he's ready to go.

According to Yahoo Sports NBA Insider, Chris Haynes, the Sixers initially expected a return in two to four weeks from the time of the injury. Nothing will be set until the re-evaluation happens, but at least Thybulle is able to continuously work on his shot as he rehabs from his injury.

Thybulle wasn't the only Sixer to miss Monday's practice either. 76ers' starting point guard Ben Simmons was absent, due to an illness. As we know, Philly is quite familiar with random sicknesses within their locker room. And last season, Simmons ended up missing a game or two because of illness.

It's unclear what Simmons is currently dealing with, but his absence from practice on Monday is not a great sign. With a 3 pm start on Tuesday, the Sixers' point guard could be cutting it close as their next matchup is a little over 24 hours away. 


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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA  Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation.  Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association.  Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA