76ers' Brett Brown: 'I Don't Expect' Ben Simmons Will Be 100% After Back Injury

The Philadelphia 76ers expect to have Ben Simmons back when the season resumes, but head coach Brett Brown doesn't anticipate his star point guard will be at full strength. 

Brown told Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix "I don't expect" Simmons will be 100 percent, but he does "think he is going to be available" to play in games after being diagnosed with a nerve impingement in his back in February. 

Simmons expressed optimism about his recovery from the back injury even before the season was suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic. The two-time All-Star told reporters in March he had "no pain" and was "very confident" about being able to play. 

Per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the NBA is targeting July 30 as the date to restart the season with 22 teams in Orlando, Florida. 

The Sixers are currently the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference with a 39-26 record. They had the league's best home record (29-2) prior to the hiatus, but their 10-24 mark on the road is the worst of any potential playoff team. 

Simmons was averaging 16.7 points, 8.2 assists, 7.8 rebounds and an NBA-high 2.1 steals per contest in 54 games prior to his injury.