Ben Simmons is back with the Philadelphia 76ers for now and has been practicing on the side for the team. The early returns as to how Simmons has looked for the Sixers are less than encouraging. He also won't be playing in the preseason finale against the Detroit Pistons.
Ben Simmons will not play in tonight’s preseason finale in Detroit as he reconditions, sources told ESPN. He did not travel with the Sixers, but he has cleared health and safety protocols and is eligible to rejoin the team.
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) October 15, 2021
Per Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice, the Sixers aren't surprised by what they are seeing from Simmons, which appears to be a player who isn't interested in what's going on.
While waiting for Simmons to clear protocols and rejoin the team in earnest, the Sixers have only been able to put him through individual workouts and conduct meetings away from the larger group. And the early returns have not been especially encouraging — one source described Simmons as “going through the motions,” though it was noted that things have improved each day over the few days he has been here.
If Simmons is indeed to stick around with the Sixers, Danny Green reiterated on Wednesday they just need him to be the same player he's been in order for them to be successful.
“We just want everybody to come here, show up and do their part, do their jobs,” Danny Green said at practice on Wednesday. “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 [when he does] what he normally does, we're very effective, we're very good at it, we're [the] No. 1 team in the East.”
It's looking more and more like a situation where Simmons is rejoining the Sixers to protect his pockets while he still seeks a trade and a way out of Philly.
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