NEW YORK – We all remember what seemed to be Ben Simmons in his prime, effortlessly getting to the rim and terrorizing teams in transition during his time in Philadelphia.
After being drafted to the 76ers with the #1 overall pick in 2016, Simmons didn’t play his first season as he got surgery to repair a broken foot in early October.
The next season, Simmons went on to play and start every single game and win Rookie of the Year while averaging 15.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, 8.2 assists, and 1.7 steals. Just one year later, he had the best season of his young career, including his first All-Star appearance, where he averaged 16.9 points, 8.8 rebounds, 7.7 assists, and 1.4 steals.
Simmons has suffered a slew of injuries since then which caused him to lose confidence along with his production progressively dissipating. After the 2020-21 season, the Sixers staff seemed frustrated with Simmons as they thought as if he hadn’t been making much progress, specifically with his jump shot among other things.
Over that summer, Simmons demanded a trade, but that request was not met. When he returned to the 76ers in October he was kicked out of practice after refusing to participate in drills and then didn’t return to the court for them ever again, saying his absence was because of mental health reasons. There was a clear and obvious disconnect between Simmons and both the staff and players of the Sixers organization. It became evident that a trade was going to happen very soon.
In February of 2022, the 76ers traded Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, a 2022 first-round pick (unprotected), and a 2027 first-round pick (protected) in return for James Harden and Paul Millsap.
Once in Brooklyn, It didn’t take long for Ben to endure yet another injury that took away the remainder of his 2021-22 season. Simmons has now returned to the court after a significant amount of time and has taken on an important role for the Nets this season.
He is currently averaging 7.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 1.0 steal in 12 games this season and recently put together his best game in a Nets uniform this past Sunday. Starting at center, Simmons put up 22 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, and one steal during 35 minutes of play in a 127-115 win against the Grizzlies.
Tonight, he got the chance to seek some revenge against his former team, the Philadelphia 76ers…and their fans. Throughout the game he was heckled by the fans, booing his every move.
Unfortunately, Simmons and the Nets weren’t able to get the job done as they took a 106-115 loss to a Sixers team without Harden, Embiid, or Maxey. Tobias Harris and De’Anthony Melton led the Sixers in scoring with 24 and 22 points respectively, while Kyrie led the Nets in scoring with 23 points. Simmons put up 11 points, 7 rebounds, and 11 assists in his return, his second double-double of the season. The Nets now sit just one spot below the Sixers at 10th in the Eastern Conference.
