NBA: Aussie top pick Simmons set for key exam on foot injury

Australian playmaker Ben Simmons, the top pick in last year's NBA Draft, will have his broken right foot examined next Thursday in New York to see when he might finally be able to make his NBA debut. The 20-year-old forward from Melbourne suffered a fractured fifth metatarsal last September 30 on the final day of a pre-season training camp. On January 23, doctors examined a CT scan and found an inner portion of the bone had not mended, according to a Philadelphia Inquirer report citing unnamed sources, which also said Simmons would be looked at next week at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. "His next CT scan is scheduled for February 23, after which our medical team will thoroughly review and evaluate his status moving forward. Ben's long-term health remains our primary concern," 76ers president Bryan Colangelo said. Just after the injury, Simmons had been expected to return in January. Now there is concern he might miss the 2016-17 campaign entirely. Simmons takes part in on-court drills but not scrimmages and the team wants him to go through scrimmages before playing in games. But at 21-35, the 76ers are 13th in the Eastern Conference, 5 1/2 games behind Detroit for the last playoff spot. Even if Simmons is healthy, the 76ers might decide not to risk reinjuring the foot with only 26 games remaining in the season.