Ben Simmons on return to Philadelphia: ‘I can’t wait to go there’

Nov. 22, 2022.

That’s when the Brooklyn Nets and Ben Simmons make their first appearance of the season in Philadelphia — it could be the first time Simmons plays a game there since forcing his way out in a trade last season. Plenty of people around the league are willing to bet Simmons finds a reason not to play in that game, but he told Nick Friedell of ESPN he is excited about it.

“F***, I can’t wait to go there, yeah. But for me, everything’s an experience and a learning situation. So for me I’m able to learn something that I’ve never been through before. I’ve never been traded and played against a team that I got traded from. Kev [Kevin Durant] has, Ky [Kyrie Irving] has, a lot of guys have, but I’ve never been in that situation so -- you have to go through it. Ky went back to Boston, and he didn’t play well, but it’s a lot. We’re people, too. We want to go out there and prove everyone wrong.”

Simmons did return with the Nets last season but sat on the bench and did not play. It will be different when he suits up — the venom from fans will be even more intense.

If you think Simmons’ return to Philly could be awkward because of his relationship with Joel Embiid, don’t worry about it. Simmons said there is not much of a relationship there.

“I don’t talk to Jo. We never really spoke... I don’t think there was really a relationship there. Like in terms of a friendship? You can try as hard as you want to try to be close to somebody, be their friend, whatever it is, but everyone is different as people, so for me, it’s never personal. I don’t have any anger or hate towards him. He is who he is and I am who I am. And we’ve got our personal lives. And work is basketball, so in that moment, my goal is to win and I got to win with Jo. He’s a great player, we just didn’t get it done.

As he has throughout training camp, Simmons sounds like a guy both in control and with a healthy outlook on the turbulence of the past season, and his career.

But that pressure is about to ramp up on him and his team as regular season games tip-off next week. Can the Nets come together in a very deep East, will Simmons fit in his role (and what exactly is that role), and will the Nets get enough stops to win games consistently against the best in the East? Brooklyn has contender-level top-end talent but a lot of questions about fit and mental toughness they need to answer — and Simmons is a part of that.

Simmons continues to say all the right things. Starting next week, actions are what will matter.