The Philadelphia 76ers will be without All Star point guard Ben Simmons for the foreseeable future as he continues to recover from a nerve impingement in his lower back. Simmons suffered the injury during the opening minutes of the Sixers' loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on February 22nd.

The team announced on Wednesday that Simmons will miss at least three more weeks before being reevaluated, and they have not provided a timeline for his return.

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With the exception of the few minutes Simmons played against Milwaukee on February 22nd, the Sixers have been without the 23-year old star ever since the All Star break. During that time, the team has gone 4-5 and dropped to sixth in the Eastern Conference with an overall record of 38-26. If the season ended today, they'd be looking at a first round matchup against the Boston Celtics.

The Sixers will kick off a four-game home stand tonight against the Detroit Pistons, followed by games against the Indiana Pacers, Washington Wizards and Toronto Raptors. Even if Simmons is given the green light to return immediately after he is reevaluated in three weeks, there will be just seven games remaining on the Sixers' regular season schedule.

In his 54 appearances this season, Simmons is averaging 16.9 points, 8.3 assists and 7.9 rebounds per game. 

Philadelphia 76ers All Star Ben Simmons is expected to miss an extended period of time following the back injury he suffered during the opening minutes of Saturday night's loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. Simmons, 23, was said to be "emotional" after leaving the X-ray room at Fiserv Forum, and ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reports that there's "a real level of concern" about the severity of the issue.

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Although the team has not yet determined a timetable for Simmons' return, he is expected to miss the team's upcoming road trip which includes nationally televised matchups against the Los Angeles Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers. According to Wojnarowski, the Sixers are expected to announce the next steps in Simmons' recovery, and possibly a timetable for his return, as soon as Tuesday.

Simmons is averaging 16.9 points, 8.3 assists and 7.9 rebounds per game this season. Head coach Brett Brown started second-year guard Shake Milton in Simmons' absence on Monday night, although Josh Richardson also got some minutes at the point. 

The Sixers (36-22) currently rank fifth in the Eastern Conference as they prepare for a pair of games against the East's bottom feeders, including a trip to Cleveland on Wednesday followed by a home game against the Knicks on Thursday night. After that, they'll head to Cali for their four-game road trip.