There’s a new update in the ongoing saga of Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers. Days after he was kicked out of practice by Doc Rivers and suspended for a game, Simmons, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, came and left the 76ers’ practice facility without doing a scheduled workout at the team’s practice facility. The team did not have a full-on practice today, per Woj, after playing their first game of the season on Wednesday.
Simmons has yet to fully engage in a team practice, so it remains unlikely that he would make his season-debut vs. the Nets on Friday. https://t.co/aJgQKegjc4
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 21, 2021
The 76ers next play on Friday against the Nets in what, in theory, should be a fun early-season showdown between two of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. But with the continued absence of Kyrie Irving for Brooklyn and the Simmons situation for Philadelphia, there’s some shine taken off of this matchup.
What’s going on with Simmons now is also still unclear. Per Woj, he hasn’t practiced with the 76ers since reporting. Does Simmons’ continued absence and seeming unwillingness to engage with the team in a way that will get him back to the court force Daryl Morey’s hand at some point? Will they fine him again if he doesn’t participate in workouts? It’s clear now that he wants out and is trying to make thing uncomfortable in an effort to be traded. It’s just unclear if it will work, at least in the short term.