Ben Simmons: ‘We’ll be scary’

Ben Simmons He doesn’t have a set date for his Brooklyn Nets debut, but he hopes to be ready to play on March 10 when Brooklyn visits his old team, the 76ers.

Simmons discussed his future with the Nets and his departure from the Philadelphia 76ers for the first time on Tuesday, five days after the trade that sent the three-time All-Star, james hardento Philadelphia.

Ben Simmons reflects on the end of his time with the Sixers:

“It was just piled up… to where I just knew I wasn’t myself and I needed to get back into that place… being happy as a person.” pic.twitter.com/33OTltQ29B

— ESPN (@espn) February 15, 2022

“I think we’re going to be scary,” Simmons said of joining forces with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. “Having those guys running around me … And I think at the rate we want to play, it’s going to be unreal,” he added.

Simmons also claimed not to know why everything went so wrong with his former team in the end.

“If I knew, I’d tell them everything,” Simmons said. “But there’s a lot of internal things that had to happen over time. And it got to a point, where I don’t think it was good for me mentally. It happened and that’s it,” he added.

While acknowledging he “doesn’t have a date yet” on when he will play for the Nets, Simmons said he is “starting to get better” at getting his fitness back.

Simmons sat out the Sixers’ training camp in the fall amid his request to be traded. He has not played a game this season, citing ‘mental health’ issues. This topic came up several times at the press conference.

“For me, it was just mentally making sure I was okay to go out there and play again,” Simmons said. “And it wasn’t about Philly fans, coaches or comments made by anyone. It was just personal to me. That was before that series (against the Hawks). They knew about it. So it’s something I continue to deal with. “, he expressed.

The Nets have two games left: one at home on Wednesday against the Knicks, followed by another against the Wizards, before the All-Star break. Brooklyn will play on February 24 against the Celtics.

Simmons thanked the Sixers organization and fans for their support during his six-plus seasons in Philadelphia, but did not reveal the specific reasons for his deteriorating relationship with the franchise that selected him as the No. 2 pick in the 2016 draft. who spoke with Sixers coach Doc Rivers, general manager Elton Brand and forward TobiasHarris after the exchange, but has not spoken with Joel Embid.

“Not doing what I love (was the hardest thing),” Simmons continued. “That was definitely the hardest part, especially for so long, when you take something away from someone who… what they love to do, it’s hard for anyone. Over time, I worked on it,” he concluded.