The Ben Simmons saga flipped completely on its side Monday night when out of nowhere, the three-time All-Star ended his holdout and reported to Philadelphia midway through a preseason game. Since then, Simmons has taken all the necessary steps to potentially re-join his 76ers teammates once he clear protocol.
Based on how things played out this offseason, it felt unlikely the former number one pick would ever put on a Sixers' jersey again. Fast forward to now, and there is a small reality that Simmons is on the floor for the preseason finale on Friday against the Detroit Pistons.
Similar to media day and training camp, questions regarding Simmons have been unavoidable. With this latest development, players and coaches have been asked their thoughts on having him back with the team.
Following the Sixers' preseason win on Monday, head coach Doc Rivers said he felt the narrative of teammates possibly hating Simmons for what he did was overplayed. Hearing some players address his return has backed up that statement. During his post-practice media availability Wednesday, Danny Green expressed his excitement on Simmons deciding to end his holdout.
“Of course. We’ve expressed that multiple times that we want him back. We want him with us. I hear the same news you guys hear. I haven’t seen him yet. When he’s in the building, we’ll acclimate him appropriately,” said Danny Green.
There is no telling how the locker room might respond to Simmons' making his return. Between threatening to sit the whole year and reports coming out about him not wanting to play with certain teammates, things might be a little uneasy, to say the least.
Despite how things have played out, Green is not expecting or want an apology from Ben Simmons. All he asks is to show up and do what's expected and the rest will work itself out.
“If he does he does, if he doesn’t he doesn’t. That doesn’t matter to us at this point. We just want everyone to come here, show up, and do their jobs. I’m not asking him to do anything different than he normally does. Just show up to work and do what you normally do because what he normally does, we are very effective. We’re very good at it. We’re the number one team in the East. I’m not asking him to shoot jump shots. Just come in, be a pro, and do your job,” Green said.
Seth Curry later backed up most of Green's comments during his availability. He is more focused on the effort Simmons gives on the court, not explaining his business away from the game.
“I already know the deal. I feel like I know his reasoning and what he wants to happen. I'll be able to see from when he steps on the floor where his head is at. I don't feel like he needs to explain anything to me. He's a grown man. He can do whatever he wants. Just when he steps on that floor, the goal should be to win,” said Curry.
Based on Wednesday's comments, it feels like teammates are unfazed by Simmons' spontaneous decision to end his stalemate. While many speculated what a return might do for morale, the impact might not be as bad as expected.
Both players made a very good point in their responses. At the end of the day what matters most is how Ben Simmons responds on the court. If he comes back and just goes through the motions until he gets what he wants, then issues behind the scenes may begin to arise.
With the start of the regular season less than a week away, there is little time to dwell on these off-the-court antics. Now that Simmons has ultimately decided to re-join his team, it is on him to conduct himself professionally and provide what is expected of him.
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