Report: 76ers' Ben Simmons Likely to Miss Next 3 Games with Shoulder Injury

Philadelphia 76ers point guard Ben Simmons' ailing shoulder will cause him to miss at least one game. 

Per Kyle Neubeck of the Philly Voice, Simmons will sit out Friday's game against the Denver Nuggets with an AC joint sprain. Per Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes, the injury will keep Simmons out for the next three games, though Neubeck reported he will be re-evaluated over the weekend.

The Sixers held Simmons out for the second half of Wednesday's 106-104 loss to the Utah Jazz. The injury appeared to occur in the first quarter when he collided with Royce O'Neale.  

Simmons has developed into one of the NBA's most impactful players since the Sixers selected him with the first overall pick in the 2016 draft. He was named the Rookie of the Year for the 2017-18 season and earned his first All-Star selection in 2019, and he's done it without outside shooting in an era dominated by it.

Injuries quickly became part of the 23-year-old LSU product's story at the professional level, though. He missed his entire first year in the NBA because of a broken foot. He bounced back to miss just four games over the last two seasons, though.

Raul Neto is probably going to see the biggest uptick in playing time whenever Simmons misses games this season, but Philly will likely use a committee approach to fill the void. Josh Richardson, Trey Burke and Furkan Korkmaz are other options to help run the offense.

Ultimately, the Sixers' have championship-level aspirations this year, so they are going to play it safe with all their stars throughout the regular season. Simmons will return to his usual role once healthy.