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Sixers' No. 1 pick Simmons won't play this season

Jerry Lai / REUTERS

It's getting harder and harder to trust the process.

Philadelphia 76ers No. 1 overall pick Ben Simmons will not play this season because a broken bone in his foot has yet to fully heal, the team declared Friday.

"Today I have to announce Ben Simmons is not playing this season. The scan indicated there's not full healing," Sixers president Bryan Colangelo said, according to Tom Moore of Calkins Media.

Colangelo added, "Unfortunately, Ben is going to sit out. That's the bad news. The good news is one day he'll put on a uniform,"

Simmons suffered a Jones fracture in his left foot during training camp. The initial timeline following surgery was that he would return in three months - meaning sometime in January - but foot injuries are often less predictable. Kevin Durant suffered the same injury and bounced in and out of the lineup for a year before making a full recovery.

This is an all-too familiar sight for Sixers fans, who have waited patiently on every single one of their stalled top prospects. Nerlens Noel sat out a year with an ACL tear. Joel Embiid missed two years with a broken foot and is now dealing with knee issues. Dario Saric stayed overseas for two years after he was drafted. Jahlil Okafor battled injuries last season. Now they must also wait for Simmons.

In the meantime, Philadelphia can look forward to yet another round of high draft picks that will perpetuate The Process, but this ordeal with Simmons may be its toughest test yet.

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