Ben Simmons Claims Brooklyn Nets are ‘Philly on Steroids’

Former Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons hasn't said much publicly over the past year. After Simmons and the Sixers dropped their Game 7 matchup in the second round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs against the Atlanta Hawks, Simmons participated in a postgame press conference. That marked the last time he addressed Philly-based reporters. 

Days after falling short to the Hawks, Simmons requested a trade from the Sixers. Although Philly's front office and coaching staff reportedly attempted to convince Simmons to buy back into the 76ers, they were unsuccessful.

Simmons started the 2021-2022 NBA season as a holdout. Eventually, he returned to the practice court and was deemed a distraction for his first couple of sessions. While the Simmons saga went from ugly to tolerable, it was clear the three-time All-Star wouldn't play for the Sixers again.

Eventually, Philly's front office managed to find a trade worth their while. As the Brooklyn Nets felt forced to move the disgruntled James Harden, the Sixers and the Nets swapped stars. 

Philly landed Harden and Paul Millsap. The Nets grabbed Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, and draft picks. Although Simmons found a new home in Brooklyn, his return to the court remained delayed. Simmons was re-conditioning to get back into game shape. In the process, he suffered a back injury.

As a result, Simmons missed the regular season and the first round of the playoffs. Since the Boston Celtics swept Brooklyn, the three-time All-Star's Nets debut was pushed back to the 2022-2023 season.

At this point, Simmons is on pace to return to the court at the start of the season. Considering his playing style features a unique ability to be a playmaker on offense, Simmons looks forward to sharing the court with scoring stars and speedy talents.

During his introductory press conference with the Nets last year, Simmons compared Brooklyn's setup to the 2017-2018 Sixers — a roster he considered to fit his playing style the best.

Once again, Simmons has the same vision for the Nets in 2022-2023, considering Brooklyn's team the Philadelphia 76ers "on steroids."

"The talent that we have and the type of players that we have, we're going to be able to run the floor easily," Simmons told JJ Redick on 'The Old Man and the Three' podcast. "We got Claxton who can run; he moves incredibly well. Kev, Patty, Ky, Joe, just got Royce, another great Three-and-D guy. I'm missing people, but I think this team right now is just a great fit for what I do and what I bring to the game. I feel like it's Philly on steroids, kind of, in terms of what we had when you (JJ Redick) were there and Marco (Bellinelli) and Ersyan (Ilyasova)."

With the Sixers, Simmons averaged 15 points during the 2017-2018 season. While he averaged more scoring in two of the following three seasons, Simmons' assist numbers were never higher than his rookie year.

In 81 games, Simmons averaged a career-high of eight assists during that regular season run. In the playoffs, he generated nearly eight assists per game while accounting for a postseason career-high of 16 points per game in ten matchups. Since that year, Simmons' playoff scoring averages saw a notable decline. It's apparent Simmons believes the system in Brooklyn will help him get back to producing similar numbers.

"It's exciting knowing I'm going to play with those guys and knowing their games," he continued. "Like, I don't have to guard Kyrie and Kevin? I have no idea [how other teams are supposed to guard Durant]. You don't guard Kevin — no one guards Kevin. Those guys are so incredibly talented, and their focus is incredible seeing them work. No one's guarding Kevin or Ky."

With the Sixers, Simmons was viewed as the supposed No. 2 scoring option behind the two-time MVP runner-up Joel Embiid. Often, Simmons struggled to own that role as he averaged fewer points than Tobias Harris from 2019 to 2021.

In Brooklyn, Simmons' pass-first approach will be appreciated as he shares the court with some of the NBA's most dominant scorers in Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.