Nets' Ben Simmons upbeat about return to Philadelphia
Nets guard Ben Simmons controls the ball against the Grizzlies during the second half of an NBA game at Barclays Center on Sunday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
The focus in Philadelphia on Tuesday night will be on Ben Simmons, the former 76ers star who will be facing his old team for the first time as a member of the Nets.
Boos will happen.
But the focus for the Nets in terms of wins and losses might end up being who isn’t on the floor — injured 76ers stars Joel Embiid, James Harden and Tyrese Maxey.
“Everybody’s going down right now,” 76ers coach Doc Rivers said, “and right now around here, if somebody goes down, you get really scared.”
Embiid is the latest injury. The superstar suffered a foot sprain on Saturday. He is averaging 32.3 points and had a 59-point game (this season’s NBA high) against Utah on Nov. 13.
More good news for the Nets: Simmons is full of confidence coming off his best game of the season as the 8-9 club looks to get back to .500. Starting at center on Sunday vs. Memphis in Brooklyn, Simmons had a season-high 22 points plus eight rebounds and five assists in the Nets’ 127-115 victory.
Simmons already has been to Philadelphia as a member of the Nets, but he didn’t suit up in their March 10 game. He was booed lustily by Philly fans who haven’t forgiving Simmons for declining to play for the 76ers last season because of back and mental health issues before he was traded to the Nets.
So when Simmons was asked about returning to play in Philadelphia, he said: “Something going on?”
That he said it with a smile tells you where his head is at right now.
“In Philly?” he said. “I know what’s coming. That’s part of the game. Philly fans, one thing about Philly fans is they are incredible. They are die-hard Philly and they are everything Philly, whatever it is. I respect that about the city. It’s a sports town.
“I was talking to, I think, Yuta [Watanabe] before the game about what it’s like to play in Philly, and it’s an incredible opportunity to put on whatever jersey it is. That’s Philly, and it’s a unique experience.”
Simmons, an Australian, was the No. 1 overall pick by the 76ers in the 2016 draft.
“I was 18 years old coming into Philly, so it’s really the only place I’ve lived as an adult,” he said. “So I have a lot of love for that city. People don’t know that, but a lot of my best friends are from Philadelphia. My brother still lives in Philadelphia. So regardless of the situation, whatever happened happened. But I got a lot of love for that city still, so I look forward to going down there and playing.”
The Nets are looking forward to having a healthy Simmons back after he missed four games with a knee injury and then came off the bench. He started on Sunday as center Nic Claxton missed the game for personal reasons.
Claxton is expected to return on Tuesday, so coach Jacque Vaughn will have a lineup decision to make.
Simmons played point guard for Philadelphia. The Nets have a pretty good one in Kyrie Irving, who returned from his eight-game team suspension on Sunday and scored 14 points.
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
