Getty Seth Curry #31 and Ben Simmons #25 of the Philadelphia 76ers look on against the Dallas Mavericks at Wells Fargo Center on February 25, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The Philadelphia 76ers’ matchup with the Brooklyn Nets had the attention of seemingly the entire NBA world. While some of its allure has been lost due to the flurry of injuries on the Sixers’ roster, there were still plenty of eyes on the matchup. Without Joel Embiid, James Harden, and Tyrese Maxey set to take the court, expectations for the Sixers have decreased. However, the shorthanded Sixers put forth an impressive effort and scrapped to a 115-16 victory. Ben Simmons’ return to Philadelphia has dominated headlines due to his ugly exit from the organization, but there is another former Sixer who is remembered more fondly as also Seth Curry made his return.
Curry caught up with reporters ahead of the matchup and spoke fondly of his time with the Sixers. As he put it, “Played some good basketball for a majority of the time. We had a really good team. We played a lot of good basketball in the regular season, playoffs. The fans are one of a kind and bring it every night. It’s one of the things I miss about playing here and I always enjoyed my time,” per Ky Carlin of SixersWire.
A couple of former #Sixers going to work in Seth Curry and Ben Simmons
Curry’s Time With the Sixers
In one of his first moves after taking control of the Sixers franchise, Daryl Morey traded Josh Richardson and the 36th pick in the 2020 draft in exchange for Curry. The sniper had his best seasons with the Sixers and played a total of 102 games with the franchise.
During this time, he averaged 13.6 points, 3.3 assists, and 2.8 rebounds per game during his 31.4 minutes per game. Each of these marked career highs for the Duke product. Curry also connected on 42.6% of his three-point attempts while attempting 5.2 long-range shots per game. He was a dynamic two-man partner with Embiid due to the way he opened up the floor.
Really great job by Joel Embiid to lead Seth Curry to the open space on this skip pass, leads to an advantage and 3:
Curry also revealed he still keeps in touch with the Sixers superstar. As he put it, “I talk to them randomly. Joel FaceTimes me every once in a while. Just talking some Joel stuff, but yeah man. I still got good relationships with all the guys here. I had some good times, some good battles together, and I’m always rooting for those guys to do well,” per Ky Carlin of SixersWire.
Curry’s Impact on the Nets
The 32-year-old has not had the easiest time thus far in Brooklyn. He has battled a number of ankle injuries and has been in and out of the lineup during his tenure. In total, he has suited up for just 27 games during his Brooklyn tenure and is still looking to find his stride. During this time he has averaged 13.0 points, 2.5 assists, and 2.4 rebounds per game.
While it was unfortunate that he was a part of the package used to land Harden, Curry will always be remembered fondly for the time he spent with the Sixers. Doc Rivers also revealed what a difficult decision it was due to the heat he received from his daughter when the rumors of the deal first emerged. Curry is currently married to Rivers’ daughter, Callie, and has been since 2019.
Curry received a much warmer reception than Simmons during the matchup. He played 24 minutes and tallied 14 points, two rebounds, two assists, a block, and a steal. The 6’1″ guard shot 2-6 on three-point attempts. Unlike Simmons, Curry was welcomed back by the Philadelphia fans and rightfully praised for his tenure with the organization.