All-Star guard Ben Simmons made his long-awaited return to Philadelphia on Tuesday evening as the Brooklyn Nets took on the 76ers inside Wells Fargo Center.
It’s Simmons' first appearance in the City of Brotherly Love since Philadelphia sent him packing to the Nets this past February in the James Harden blockbuster.
In what can’t be considered too much of a surprise, 76ers fans let Simmons have it during pre-game introductions. The booing was so loud that it could probably be heard further down Broad Street.
How bad did it get for Mr. Simmons? The booes continued into the game with him at the free-throw line. Despite this, the 50% free-throw shooter nailed both from the charity stripe.
Ben Simmons was an enigmatic figure during the latter stages of his career in Philadelphia. That was magnified following a brutal playoff performance to conclude the 2020-21 season and some major drama between the former No. 1 pick and his organization behind the scenes.
For his part, the former LSU star knew that this would happen when speaking to the media in the lead-up to Tuesday’s game.
“In Philly? Come on now, I know what’s coming.” Ben Simmons on what he expected heading into Tuesday night in Philadelphia. “That’s part of the game. Philly fans, one thing about Philly fans is they are incredible. They are diehard Philly and they are everything Philly, whatever it is. I respect that about the city. It’s a sports town.”
As for what we’ve seen from Simmons thus far this season, it’s been a complete dumpster fire. Brooklyn is growing frustrated with the embattled guard. He’s missed time to injury. And when on the court, the dude has struggled big-time. It has led to speculation about a potential trade a mere 13 games into his Nets tenure.
Yeah, nothing to see here.
In the end, Simmons' presence was not enough to help the Nets beat the Sixers. Philly won, 115-106. Simmons shot 4-of-7 from the field and 3-of-6 from the free-throw line for 11 points in 32 minutes. He added seven rebounds, 11 assists, three blocks and a game-high three steals.
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