National Basketball Association

Ben Simmons Talked With Kevin Durant for Advice on Injury

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Philadelphia 76ers forward Ben Simmons said that one of the first people he talked to about his recover was Kevin Durant, who suffered the same injury during his career.

The Philadelphia 76ers’ top overall pick from this year’s draft was Ben Simmons, and there was a ton of hype surrounding him coming into this season. So much hype, in fact, that the Sixers landed an opening night spot on ESPN for the first time in years.

We know how this goes, though. Simmons unfortunately gets injured in a Sixers practice, fracturing his fifth metatarsal in his foot, also known as a Jones Fracture. The game is still gathering a lot of hype, as Dario Saric and Joel Embiid are both making career debuts in South Philly on Wednesday night.

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Still, one of the most exciting things leading up to Wednesday’s night game against the Oklahoma City Thunder was Simmons, since he was talking to the media for the first time since suffereing this injury.

Simmons, since last speaking to the media, has gone under the knife in a successful surgery to repair his fracture, and should be ready to return back to full-contract basketball in 3-5 months. The team has not given a timetable for his return, but other injuries to other basketball players show that 3-5 months is a reasonable expectation.

Simmons talked about one of those players who had the injury, Kevin Durant, on Wednesday night, saying that the first person he reached out to when he got injured was Durant. Durant did suffer this injury, and also had some issues with a few setbacks along the way, so Simmons talking to Durant is certainly special.

It’s also important to note that Simmons is developing a solid rolodex in his young career, working out with players like LeBron James and Dwyane Wade this summer. He’s getting attention from big names, all without playing a single game.

After talking about Durant, Simmons also let the media know that the speculation regarding Simmons not playing this season is mostly unwarranted. Simmons said that when he’s ready, he wants to play. So any unnecessary waiting this season doesn’t seem to be in the fortune of the team.

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