Portland Trail Blazers have informed Anfernee Simons that he is not permitted to work in any capacity for…

Anfernee Simons, a guard for the Portland Trail Blazers, will require thumb surgery and miss four to six weeks of action, the organization said on Friday.

During Wednesday’s season-opening Los Angeles loss to the Clippers, Simons suffered a right thumb injury. The team reported that an MRI of the thumb showed a tear in the ulnar collateral ligament.

Simons, who had 18 points in the opener, was expected to help carry the offensive load in the Portland backcourt with Damian Lillard now in Milwaukee. The 24-year-old averaged 21.1 points last season.

“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,” Portland coach Chauncey Billups said. “You game plan for him. We’ll miss that. We’ll miss, obviously, his shot making and his play making. You miss those things.

“He’s one of our veterans in the backcourt, so now we become really young back there. We’ll miss his presence, we’ll miss his leadership, too.”

Shaedon Sharpe started in Simons’ place against the Orlando Magic on Friday night, scoring 24 points in the 102-97 loss.

With the NBA regular season officially coming to an end on Sunday, teams will be focusing on next week’s play-in tournament to determine their postseason fate.

Around the league, experts are evaluating the season and the worthy contenders who are expected to win the championship. Are any players even remotely able to challenge MVP front-runner Nikola Jokic? And how much longer till Victor Wembanyama wins the Defensive Player of the Year award?

These and other issues are addressed by NBA insiders Kevin Pelton, Dave McMenamin, Tim MacMahon, Andrew Lopez, and Chris Herring. They also offer their predictions for Sixth Man of the Year and Most Improved Player.

Chris Herring: This isn’t even a question if Jokic is the clear favorite to win this year, as he made what was widely acknowledged to be a very strong case to win a third consecutive prize the previous year. For the time being, he is deserving of being considered the favorite. This is not to say that players like Joel Embiid, Jalen Brunson, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Luka Doncic can’t handle it. However, Jokic is the man, and we don’t need to act like this is a difficult debate.

Andrew Lopez Doncic is the culprit if Jokic isn’t. Doncic has averaged a triple-double (33.0 points, 10.5 assists, and 10.0 rebounds) in 26 games since the trade deadline. He won’t be able to pass Jokic this year, but he and the Dallas Mavericks’ late-season run could be enough. Since his sophomore season, Doncic has finished in the top eight in the MVP voting and was named to the first team of the NBA during that time. Jokic might not get four in five years if he can maintain those stats for the whole of the season.

Dave McMenamin: The title of “best player without an MVP” already belongs to Doncic. He must therefore obviously be mentioned. But let’s not overlook the fact that, before to suffering a knee injury, Embiid was on track to win his second consecutive trophy, and, well, what about that Ja Morant guy? Is the setback of this year paving the way for a significant comeback? Could Tatum use a championship-winning Boston Celtics team as a launchpad to start a breakout year? Anthony Edwards is a contender who has already made an appearance this season. It’s better to list five names than just one if you’re going to have the conversation.

Kevin Pelton: MVP voting usually follows statistical domination, thus Doncic or Gilgeous-Alexander, who won for the first time, should be the winner. Doncic might be the favorite if he plays like he did during the entire season following the All-Star break, with Daniel Gafford providing another lob threat and shooting around them. Alternatively, it might be Gilgeous-Alexander if he and the Oklahoma City Thunder advance further in their rapid rise to the playoffs.

Tim MacMahon: Dončić will be an MVP; the question is when, not if. (How many more will he win, too?) The Mavs are pretty sure he should win this season, as seen by the “PRAVI MVP” T-shirts his teammates and Dallas employees wore on Wednesday night. The term “PRAVI” is a Slovenian term that means “real.” The Mavs, led by Doncic, strengthened their defense and moved up to the middle of the West playoff group. Ultimately, though, it’s hard to make a strong case for anyone deserving of it more than Jokic.