After suffering a fracture of the fifth metatarsal bone of his right foot in training camp, Philadelphia 76ers rookie Ben Simmons is hoping to make his long awaited NBA debut in late January.
The 20-year-old Australian has not been around the Sixers much, staying in Philly during their recent nine-day road trip. Understanding the feeling of isolation due to his own injuries, Joel Embiid kept in constant contact with Simmons, inviting him to link up with the team in Denver so they could celebrate New Year's together.
Simmons made the trip and was together with his teammates during the celebration. He even took to his Instagram account to post a photo of him with Embiid, Nerlens Noel, T.J. McConnell and Nik Stauskas.
Embiid spoke about how he wants Simmons to feel included, even with his injuries, knowing it will make him feel better. He also recalled the time he did not feel part of the team and how things changed when Noel reached out to him before.
“That’s something I feel like Ben is going to appreciate a lot because I was in that type of situation. When I was by myself I felt kind of left alone and when I had guys around me it just made me feel better.”
“Nerlens, when I got to Philly, showed me around, at first when I was traveling on the road, I was always with him. You’ve also got the coaches, mainly (assistant director of player development) Chris Babcock, is always texting me, always with me. It was mainly Nerlens, we’ve been close since I got to Philly.”
Head coach Brett Brown certainly appreciated the efforts of Embiid and praised him for trying to build stronger friendships with his teammates.
“That’s fantastic. I really like stuff like that. You know how important is it to all of us to grow a continuity, a family. When you have people in and out, in and out, and people’s future are uncertain, words end up cheap.”
“To grow that type of thing off the floor is the holy grail. You combine that work they’re doing on the floor with stuff where they interact and coexist, it’s not the be all or end all, but it certainly helps. That stuff is very pleasing to me.”
For Noel, hanging out and having fun with the squad is something that just came natural as all of them share the same passion for competing as well as wanting to relax after games.
“It’s super natural. These guys are funny characters that like to just hang out and have a good time. They’re real genuine young men that come in and get their work done and just chill.”
With a young core and budding relationships among their players, the Philly faithful definitely have a lot of reason to be excited about with their team. Once Simmons joins their fold, the fans will have the chance to see what their roster will be like in the future and possibly foresee a lot of success with it.
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