Sixers Are Struggling to Find a Clear-Cut Replacement for Ben Simmons

PHILADELPHIA, PA -- There's never a dull moment when it comes to the Philadelphia 76ers' injury report. Typically, Joel Embiid's injuries are the ones that are causing mysteries, but this time around, it's the other All-Star, Ben Simmons, who can't seem to figure out precisely what's holding him back.

Last Wednesday, Simmons reportedly strained his back when he attempted to go up for a rebound during practice. The tightness that he felt in his lower-back forced the third-year guard to sit out against Brooklyn last Thursday.

Although he wanted to push through and play against the Bucks on Saturday, his return lasted under five minutes. Once again, a rebound attempt caused Simmons to experience excruciating pain, which sent him back to the locker room for good.

After an X-ray, MRI, and multiple tests, the Sixers' medical staff still doesn't have an answer. The latest reports from ESPN's NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski mention that Simmons' official diagnosis is still unclear. However, sources believe Simmons' setback could be more long-term than short at this point.

Unfortunately for Philly, this the worst-case scenario considering their roster construction from the offseason was not built for this type of loss. As it stands, the Sixers have one true point guard on their team in Raul Neto, and the veteran has been consistently underperforming all season long.

Now, Brett Brown is left with a tough task as he has to figure out who will Simmons' replacement be if he is truly out for a while. If you ask him today, there's no definitive replacement. When asked about the situation on Monday night, Brown mentioned that the Sixers will use a plethora of point guards, as opposed to choosing just one for now.

"I think it will be done by committee," Brown said before Monday's matchup against Atlanta. "It may evolve to [picking one guy], but to do that right now, I don't think anybody stands out enough to be able to hand that badge over."

Raul Neto, Furkan Korkmaz, Alec Burks, Josh Richardson, and Shake Milton are all in the conversation for picking up minutes at point guard, according to the Sixers' head coach. And as it stands after another game without Simmons on Monday night, Brown still hasn't seen enough from anybody to hand the job over.

"I didn't see [Josh Richardson separate himself]," Brown said. "I think Shake Milton can come in and do some things with the ball. I probably like Alec Burks more on the second side of stuff rather than coming up with it. We're learning how to do this, [but] I thought Shake and J-Rich were really good tonight."

While Brown has attempted to utilize Neto and Korkmaz at point guard recently, it seems both are quickly becoming excluded from the battle. Neto, who received zero minutes on Monday, will likely remain on the bench. Korkmaz, on the other hand, is clearly best suited elsewhere when he's on the court.

And while Brett Brown acknowledged that Alec Burks is capable of playing point guard, it sounds like he prefers to grow him at his true spot at shooting guard to prepare him for whenever Simmons returns, and the rotations normalize once again.

That leaves it as a two-man battle between Richardson and Milton. Both have had their highs and lows playing the point, but it seems these are the most logical options for the Sixers at the moment. This situation is far from ideal, but the Sixers have to quickly snap into shape and prepare to be without Simmons for the time being to make the most out of this final stretch of games coming up.

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