Getty Ben Simmons #10 of the Brooklyn Nets
Ben Simmons made his long-awaited (and overly hyped) Brooklyn Nets debut on Monday night. He got extended burn for a preseason game, finishing with six points, four rebounds, and five assists in 19 minutes.
After the game, Simmons did an interview with Meghan Triplett of YES Network where he delivered short answers. The former Philadelphia 76ers starter talked about leaving “room for improvement” and tabled any talk of his Nets debut until October 19. That’s when Brooklyn hosts New Orleans in the regular-season opener.
The most interesting part of Simmons’ post-game chat came when Tyrese Maxey crashed the party to say hello. The relationship between those two former Sixers teammates was always strong and nothing has changed.
Remember, Maxey once referred to Simmons as his “big bro.” Here is the interaction between Simmons and Maxey following the Sixers’ 127-108 victory in the preseason opener:
Tyrese Maxey showing love to Ben Simmons. Former teammates who share the same agent. They wore close in Philly. #Sixers #HereTheyCome
Prior to the game, Simmons sat down with The Inquirer’s Keith Pompey to talk about last year’s drama. Or lack thereof. According to Simmons, there was a lot of “fake beef” involved in his Philly exit.
“A lot of people try to create a fake beef or whatever it is. Like, if I have an issue with somebody, I’ll just [expletive] tell them,” Simmons told Pompey. “If somebody got an issue with me and they don’t say anything, but they want to talk behind my back, then that’s a personal thing. That’s them. I can’t get caught up on that. But I’m just happy to be on the court.”
James Harden Gives Shout Out to Abbott Elementary
James Harden sat out the preseason opener in Brooklyn, but he was in the building – dressed in a blue Humanrace hoodie, next to Joel Embiid – and watched his team cruise to a 19-point win. Then, Harden had some fun on social media by posting a hilarious picture of Quinta Brunson costumed as Harden.
Brunson, a West Philly native, is the star and creator of the hit TV show Abbott Elementary which takes place in her hometown. She won the Emmy award for “Outstanding Writing For A Comedy Series” earlier this month, plus the show won three awards after garnering seven nominations.
P.J. Tucker, Joel Embiid, Danuel House, James Harden Rest
The Sixers threw out a starting five consisting of Matisse Thybulle, Tyrese Maxey, Tobias Harris, Paul Reed, and De’Anthony Melton on Monday night. They opted to rest P.J. Tucker, Danuel House, James Harden, and Joel Embiid despite Brooklyn basically going with their starting five (minus Seth Curry).
Maxey was the undisputed star of the show – he scored or assisted 22 points in the first 7 minutes – and finished with 20 points and 3 assists in 14 minutes. Furkan Korkmaz (15 points, 6-of-12 shooting) and Julian Champagnie (15 points, 5-of-10 shooting) provided clutch minutes for the Sixers, too.
Solid minutes from Julian Champagnie: 13 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals in 18 minutes of play — 4/9 shooting overall, and 3/7 from three.
A lot to like when you factor in his 6-foot-8 frame. Good to see him put together a performance like this.
The Sixers were up by 20 points at one point in the preseason opener against Brooklyn. They looked dominant. They looked tough. They looked … no, it’s way too early for championship chatter.
“It’s all good to say this is the year but nothing is going to be presented to us or handed to us,” Tobias Harris said. “And we understand that. And we need to be ready to work. And, in training camp, we need to be ready to compete and get ready to figure out how we can come together in a short period of time and be the best team that we can be.”