76ers Offer an Update on Ben Simmons' Injury Ahead of Pistons Matchup

It's quite rare when Philadelphia 76ers point guard Ben Simmons misses playing time. Despite being ruled out for his entire rookie season back in 2016, the Sixers' All-Star guard has been as reliable as anybody when it comes to durability.

As of late, though, that hasn't been the case. After a successful All-Star break for the 23-year-old guard, his luck ran out. During the first practice back since the All-Star game, Simmons felt discomfort in his back while going up for a rebound in practice.

The following day, he still felt the tightness, which led the Sixers to rule him out for precautionary reasons. At the time, nobody within the organization believed his injury was anything that would keep him out long-term. Therefore, Simmons was cleared to play the following game against the Milwaukee Bucks.

Not even a quarter into the matchup, Simmons was rushing off the court to go get re-evaluated. Clearly, something wasn't right. Once again, the lower-back tightness occurred for Simmons, but he wasn't returning anytime soon.

After multiple evaluations, the Sixers found a diagnosis. A nerve impingement in his lower-back is the diagnosis that Simmons and the Sixers received. A timetable couldn't bet set from the jump, but they planned to re-evaluate Simmons in two weeks.

Well, here we are, a couple of weeks later, and the Sixers finally have an update. As expected, Simmons is nowhere near ready to return. In an official statement from the team, Sports Illustrated learned that Simmons is continuing to progress in his rehabilitation. He is receiving daily treatment and is "gradually" increasing activities in his strength and conditioning program.

In three weeks, Simmons will receive another evaluation. It seemed like a longshot Simmons would return at the two-week mark, and at this point, it is confirmed. The Sixers will continue to roll without their starting point guard for the time being. So, Shake Milton will resume his role as the starter moving forward.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_