Sixers' Ben Simmons Receives Diagnosis, to be Re-Evaluated in 2 Weeks

For the last couple of days, Philadelphia 76ers star point guard Ben Simmons has been dealing a mystery back injury. Last Wednesday, as the team returned from the NBA All-Star break for practice, Simmons felt pain in his lower back as he attempted to go up for a rebound. After practice, he was checked out by the medical team.

The following afternoon, the Sixers ruled Simmons out for the matchup against the Brooklyn Nets. At the time, Sixers' head coach Brett Brown mentioned that he didn't believe Simmons' setback was anything too significant.

He was proven to be right momentarily as Simmons was cleared to play this past Saturday night against the Milwaukee Bucks. Unfortunately, Simmons' return didn't last too long. After spending just under five minutes on the court, Simmons called for trainers to follow him back to the locker room to get his back checked out.

After an initial X-ray, Simmons and the medical team were still left with questions. Therefore, they scheduled an MRI for Sunday morning as the team returned to Philly. It took a couple of days for the Sixers to figure out what's wrong with their All-Star guard, but at this point, they have reached an official diagnosis.

According to The Athletic's Shams Charania, Simmons has suffered a nerve impingement in his lower back. While there's no official timetable for his return, the Sixers' star will be re-evaluated in two weeks. And according to a team source, Simmons will receive daily treatment on his back in the meantime.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_