Simmons Opts for Knee Surgery

The Philadelphia 76ers entered the Orlando bubble hoping to prove to doubters that they can compete for an NBA title.

Now, they will be forced to prove if they can compete at all without All-Star guard Ben Simmons.

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Simmons suffered a subluxation of his left patella in Philadelphia's win over the Washington Wizards on Thursday, and what was originally thought to be a somewhat minor injury has evolved into Simmons leaving the NBA bubble for surgery.

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With Simmons out indefinitely, the 76ers are going to have to move forward in the Orlando bubble without one half of their All-Star duo, with the playoffs starting in less than two weeks.

However, the impact of Simmons' injury could stretch well beyond the bubble and into future Philadelphia seasons, according to Nick Wright, who believes it could have franchise-altering implications.

"In order for Brett Brown to keep his job and for the Sixers to make no major changes, they needed to go on a substantial playoff run with Ben and Embiid playing well together. Now, that's an impossibility."

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This was set to be Simmons and Embiid's third postseason under Brett Brown, with hopes to breakthrough past the Eastern Conference semifinals, where they've lost the past two seasons.

In 2018, the group fell in five games to the Boston Celtics, and last season, they fell is seven games to the eventual champion Toronto Raptors.

Though the 76ers entered the bubble sitting at a dissapointing sixth place in the Eastern Conference standings, the talent and ceiling of their All-Star duo continues to make them a dangerous team in the postseason.

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Now, they will have to change course in what has been a "cursed season," according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst.

"It just seems like they can't get going and this is such a setback. Now this injury – it's not the worst injury you can have [but] it's not good. There have been guys who have missed 10 days with this injury, there are guys who have missed two months. But at this point any setback is tough, especially for an All-Star player."

It remains unclear how much time Simmons will miss, but how soon he returns could decide how long this Sixers roster lasts in Orlando – and for years to come.