76ers' Ben Simmons to miss undetermined amount of time with back injury

As the Philadelphia 76ers and point guard  Ben Simmons' management team work with doctors to evaluate a course of action on the All-Star's injured back, Simmons is expected to be sidelined for an undetermined period of time, league sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. 

The 76ers expect there to be an answer within the next 24 hours as to what the course of action will be as far as remedying the back injury. 

Simmons' injury will have longer-term implications than simply the 76ers' upcoming road trip, sources said. 

Philadelphia coach Brett Brown said Monday he doesn't have one player that he'll hand over the starting point guard duties to. He anticipates Raul Neto will assume the role Monday night against the Atlanta Hawks, but made it clear the 76ers will employ a point guard-by-committee approach.

Responding to an observation that he appears to be preparing for a lengthy absence for Simmons, Brown said, "It's really, like, how long is a piece of string? Who knows?"

Simmons underwent an initial evaluation on his injured back Sunday in Philadelphia. It was at that point he was ruled out of Monday's game. 

Simmons left the Sixers' 119-98 loss to Milwaukee on Saturday night after tweaking his back in the first quarter. He played less than five minutes, recording five points and two rebounds.

Sources described Simmons as emotional upon leaving the X-ray room at the Fiserv Center.

Simmons also missed the Sixers' victory over Brooklyn on Thursday with lower back soreness. He is averaging 16.9 points, 7.9 rebounds and 8.3 assists this season.

ESPN's Tim Bontemps contributed to this report.