Sixers' Ben Simmons Offers Update on his Knee Injury After Loss to Grizzlies

Ben Simmons has been dealing with a knee injury lately. On Saturday, he offered a personal update.

Last Thursday, Philadelphia 76ers All-Star Ben Simmons suffered a mysterious knee injury in the matchup against the Brooklyn Nets. According to Sixers head coach Doc Rivers, the fourth-year guard mentioned he was dealing with stiffness and swelling in his knee following last Thursday's loss.

"Ben, in the Brooklyn game, had some knee stiffness," Doc Rivers said last weekend. "We almost probably knew after the game [on Thursday] that he wouldn't play [on Saturday]." Despite failing to list Simmons on the injury report before last Saturday's game, Simmons was ruled out of the matchup against the Denver Nuggets.

Then, the Sixers kept Simmons back in Philly to undergo individual treatment on his knee as the team traveled to Georgia to face the Atlanta Hawks this past Monday. Following the loss against the Hawks, Rivers assured everybody that he doesn't believe Simmons' setback was anything too serious.

"I don't think [it's anything long-term]," Rivers explained in regards to Simmons' injury. "But again, we thought it might be one game, and it's already two. You know, so we're hoping he will play tomorrow night, but I can't guarantee any of that."

Simmons ended up playing on Tuesday night against the Miami Heat -- and he also appeared in the following game on Thursday against the Heat as well. Although he took the court in two-straight matchups, the veteran guard was still on the team's injury report for Saturday night's game against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Listed as probable, Simmons played on Saturday night as expected. The starting guard managed to check into the game for a little over 36 minutes. Following the Sixers' unfortunate 106-104 loss to Memphis, Simmons offered an update on his knee as he's set to play in the second half of a back to back on Sunday night.

"You know, I feel good," Simmons said on Saturday. "At times, I'm just trying to get my legs under me. It's tough; we got a back to back tomorrow, so we'll see how I feel. Overall, I'm feeling solid," he concluded.

The Sixers flew out of Memphis overnight as they're gearing up for a matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday night. While the team hasn't offered any indication that Simmons could sit out on Sunday, it seems the Sixers are taking Simmons' knee swelling day by day as they want to remain cautious early on in the year. At the moment, Simmons is admittedly feeling good, though, so he should be ready to face the Thunder on Sunday as Philly attempts to bounce back. 

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


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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