Back for Playoffs? 76ers Are Relying on Ben Simmons' Health

The last time the Philadelphia 76ers took the court was back in early March. At the time, Sixers' All-Star point guard Ben Simmons was just a spectator from the bench. Before the Sixers' small run in March, Simmons was fighting through a back injury, which he suffered on the first practice back upon returning from the All-Star break.

'Lower-back tightness' was Simmons' diagnosis at the time. Although the Sixers didn't believe it was anything too significant, the third-year guard was forced to miss a game for precautionary reasons. It wouldn't be long before Simmons made his way back out onto the court, however.

On February 22nd, Simmons and the Sixers traveled to Milwaukee for a rematch with the Bucks. While he was questionable to play at first, Simmons received the green light from the Sixers training staff to go out and perform. Unfortunately, his return to the hardwood lasted roughly five minutes. After going up for a layup, Simmons felt discomfort in his back and decided to rush to the locker room to get himself checked out.

Since then, Simmons hasn't played. And the Sixers ruled out the guard for an undisclosed amount of time with a lower-back impingement before the NBA season was put on hold.

It was pretty clear Simmons was going to miss most, if not, all of the rest of the 2019-2020 regular season. And for a moment, Simmons' playoff status seemed like it was up in the air as well.

But all of that has changed now that the NBA season is on hold. Had the playoffs started on time this year, Simmons could be questionable throughout the first round. However, now that the potential return of the NBA is set to June at the earliest, the Sixers expect to have Simmons back in action if and when the league comes back, according to a report from ESPN's Jackie MacMullan.

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

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