Much has been said about how Philadelphia 76ers fans were expected to be hostile toward Ben Simmons in his return to his old stomping grounds. Well, there's hardly any trace of that prior to Tuesday night's game between the Brooklyn Nets and the Sixers, with Simmons even signing autographs and taking selfies with Philly fans.
Ben Simmons literally climbed into the stands to sign autographs and take selfies with fans after his pregame workout. pic.twitter.com/gCfAlVWtpR
— Gina Mizell (@ginamizell) November 22, 2022
It's probably a safe bet that at least some of the fans who flocked around Simmons before the tipoff had, at one point, said something negative about him when he split ways with the Sixers. But seeing an NBA player meet the fans and have a personal interaction with them can do wonders in changing not only their behavior but also their perception of somebody like the Nets guard/forward.
Simmons and the Nets are on a roll heading into their meeting with the Sixers. They have won four of their last six games and both of their last two outings. Simmons is also starting to find his rhythm after a frustrating start to the 2022-23 NBA season. So far this season, Simmons is only averaging 7.9 points per game, but over his last three appearances on the floor, he has managed to generate 16.0 points on an incredible 84.6 percent shooting from the field.
If anything, it's a bit anticlimactic to see Simmons miss out on the opportunity Tuesday to share the floor with his former teammate Joel Embiid and the superstar the Sixers traded him for. Embiid is out with a foot sprain, while James Harden is still recovering from a foot injury.
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