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Ben Simmons, the first overall pick of the 2016 NBA draft, who has not played a single minute this season yet for the Philadelphia 76ers, will be shut down for the season the team announced this morning.

General Manager, Bryan Colangelo, made the announcement this morning saying it was because Simmons’ foot just has not healed the way they thought it would.

Simmons fractured his foot back in September and the team had hoped he could finally take the floor after the all-star break.

There is really nothing to gain by having him return this season anyway so it’s definitely the smart move to shut him down and have him make his rookie debut next year. They probably looked at what they did with Joel Embiid, keeping him sidelined for two seasons before unleashing him on the league and it has worked out pretty well for the most part this season.

If Simmons can live up to even some of the hype surrounding him, combined with the play of Embiid and a much improved team, they will be serious playoff contenders next year.

Written by @IamJoeSports

H/t ESPN