Ben Simmons was listed as unavailable due to “return to competition reconditioning” for Brooklyn’s match on Tuesday, but the Aussie NBA All-Star still made an appearance after his blockbuster trade from Philadelphia last week.
A video posted on social media by the Nets of Simmons at the team’s shootaround before the match with the Kings was viewed more than one million times as Simmons, who hasn’t played this season after a long contract stand-off with the 76ers, interacted with his new teammates, including superstar Kevin Durant.
Simmons joined the Nets after a last-minute deal sent James Harden to Philadelphia.
The 25-year-old Simmons refused to play for the 76ers during the stand-off, citing mental health issues and requesting a trade.
He didn’t do much on-court work at the shootaround and his return to play remains unclear.
Simmons, the NBA Rookie of the Year for the 2017-18 season, joins fellow Aussie Patty Mills in Brooklyn.
He was welcomed to the team by Nets coach Steve Nash who said they wanted Simmons to “do a loxjmtzywt of things for us”.
“I think that’s his gift is that he’s an incredibly athletic defender who is a creative passer, incredible in transition and can also playmake out of pick and roll as a roller,” he said.
“I think he can be dynamic for us in a lot of ways. I think he fits our group really well and I think it’s really exciting to take on such a talented player who’s ready to enter the second stage of his career and hopefully we can help him take a jump.”
