NBA Rumors: Is Ben Simmons close to returning to the Philadelphia 76ers’ lineup?
When it was reported that Ben Simmons needed time away from the team to get his mind right, I had my doubts that we’d ever see him back in the Philadelphia 76ers‘ facilities. In fact, I probably would’ve wagered that we would see Kyrie Irving back in action before Simmons.
Nevertheless, one week into the regular season and there’s already hope that Simmons could rejoin the Sixers lineup soon.
According to Sixers head coach Doc Rivers, Simmons has been present at team activities over the last few days.
Doc Rivers said Joel Embiid and Shake Milton are both still questionable for tonight’s game.
— Rich Hofmann (@rich_hofmann) October 28, 2021
Rivers also said that Ben Simmons was at the team’s shootaround today and has been at the practice facility for at least the past three days.
Of course, there still has been no timeline given for when he could return to the lineup or even if that is going to happen as a sure thing. This could all be an agreement between the Sixers and Simmons so he doesn’t get fined – even if he isn’t participating in team practices/shootarounds, he has to be present.
Or perhaps this is just the process that Simmons is taking to slowly integrate himself back as a member of the Sixers. I don’t think it’s something where he can just show up one day and start for the team.
After everything that was said during the offseason and in recent weeks, it was always going to take time for both sides to get back to a comfortable place. Are the Sixers and Simmons there yet? There’s really no telling.
After all, the last time it was reported that Simmons was participating in practice it was later revealed that he was doing so with his practice jersey and cell phone in his pocket. Even though both of those claims were denied, the pictures and videos are quite incriminating.
In other words, the details of this “report” should be taken with a grain of salt. They could mean everything or nothing.
Soon or later, one side is going to blink. Either the Sixers are going to trade Simmons or Simmons is going to fully report to the Sixers and he’s going to suit up for the team. I don’t think there’s any middle ground that can continue forward in this situation anymore.
With the way this story has evolved over the offseason, I don’t believe anything is off the table at this point.