Injuries are a common theme in any type of sport. And on this note, the NBA is no exception.
It’s only the start of the regular season, and already a few players are out due to injury, with the most recent case being Portland Trailblazer’s combo guard Anfernee Simons, who is expected to remain away from the court as he recovers.
Simons injured
During the Blazer’s first regular season game against the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday, Simons sustained an injury to his right thumb, according to the NBA. An MRI examination revealed that the UCL of Simons’ right thumb had been torn, requiring surgery and necessitating a four- to six-week period of rehabilitation.
The news took the Blazers’ fans slightly aback, as there were no reports or indications as to how and when Simons sustained the injury.
Simons recorded a score of 18 points, 2 rebounds and 4 assists in 27 minutes of play for the Trail Blazers, however, the team ultimately lost 123-111 to the Clippers.
What lies ahead for the Blazers
Simons was expected to aid Portland offensively after their former star, Damian Lillard, was dealt to the Milwaukee Bucks. However, due to an unfortunate incident involving Simons, the team is expected to be without their point guard for a minimum of 16 games, with the possibility of even longer absences, an article from CBS Sports wrote.
In the interim, the team will now have to make do without a key element of their backcourt, relying on rookie point guard Scoot Henderson and second-year shooting guard Shaedon Sharpe.
“He’s one of our veterans in the backcourt, so now we become really young back there,” Portland coach Chauncey Billups said, as per ESPN.
He also added that Simon’s presence and leadership will be missed.
“Ant’s the kind of player that he’s gained a type of respect where whether he’s making shots or not, you have to play him a certain way. You game plan for him. We’ll miss that. We’ll miss, obviously, his shot-making and his play-making. You miss those things.”
“We’ll miss his presence, we’ll miss his leadership, too.”
Last season was a huge success for Simons, who scored a whopping 21.1 points per game, added 4.1 assists, and had 2.6 rebounds.
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