Ben Simmons has been with the Brooklyn Nets simply over one calendar yr after he was shipped out of Philadelphia final season on the commerce deadline.
Simmons initially requested for a commerce in August 2021 after which grew to become embroiled in a standoff with the Philadelphia 76ers. Simmons final performed for the Sixers in June 2021 and later mentioned he didn’t swimsuit up in his final a number of months in Philly as a result of he was taking time to deal with his psychological well being and to get better from a again harm.
During an look on 97.5 The Fanatic’s “The John Kincade Show,” Simmons’ former teammate mentioned his departure.
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Georges Niang of the Philadelphia 76ers in the course of the fourth quarter in opposition to the Houston Rockets at Wells Fargo Center Feb. 13, 2023, in Philadelphia. (Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
Niang was requested how Philadelphia’s 2021-22 roster compares to the present roster.
“Well, Ben Simmons kind of handicapped us at the beginning of last year,” Niang mentioned. “I wasn’t going to say it, but you know what I mean. … When you look at building rosters, like I’m talking from like a general manager standpoint. I don’t know how much he makes, but it’s a max contract.
“So, you instantly take that off the books. ‘I’m not taking part in.’ Now it’s important to determine it out the place different function gamers must step up and change the passing, dribbling, rebounding, protection.”
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He added that last year’s situation left some players with an “uneasy feeling.”
“I believe folks don’t perceive, the group side is essential,” Niang added. “I believe [Sixers head coach] Doc Rivers does job of like shopping for into the group. And so if you don’t know who you’re going to have evening in and evening out, is he coming again? Is he this?
Ben Simmons of the Brooklyn Nets, proper, controls the ball in opposition to Georges Niang of the Philadelphia 76ers on the Wells Fargo Center Nov. 22, 2022, in Philadelphia. (Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
“I feel like the updates that we were getting about him was like when I turned on my TV, I was listening to Stephen A. Smith, and he said he’s gonna be at practice tomorrow. And I was like, ‘Well, there he is.’ And, so, last year was difficult because you didn’t know who you have. Then, the trade deadline is coming up and everybody’s walking in like, ‘Well, who’s being attached to him? That’s going?’ So it was just like, you had that uneasy feeling.”
Simmons’ holdout got here on the heels of his disappointing efficiency within the 2021 Eastern Conference semifinals. Throughout the sequence, he couldn’t shoot the basketball with any consistency and acquired criticism for his resolution to move as an alternative of trying an open slam dunk.
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Simmons then sat out the whole 2021-22 season on account of psychological well being points and a again harm.
Although Simmons confirmed flashes of his former self following his Nets debut in October 2022, the Australian All-Star has but to determine a task. His numbers have dipped to profession lows for minutes, factors, assists, steals and rebounds.
Brooklyn Nets ahead Ben Simmons sits on the bench in the course of the second half of a sport in opposition to the New York Knicks Feb. 16, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
The 26-year-old has two years and $78 million remaining on his contract. After the trades of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, Simmons is the Nets’ highest-paid participant.
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Earlier this week, the group signed head coach Jacque Vaughn to an extension as Brooklyn begins its playoff push.