Ben Simmons makes his long-awaited Nets debut against his former 76ers teammates

After missing the entire 2021-22 season as he was traded from the Philadelphia 76ers to Brooklyn, Ben Simmons finally took to court for the Nets on Monday- against his former team. 

The three-time All-Star played 19 minutes in the first half and finished with six points, five assists, four rebounds and one steal. 

Simmons hoped he was close to playing last February after getting traded to the Nets in a deal headlined by James Harden. Simmons had cited mental health reasons in seeking a trade from the 76ers following a disappointing postseason when he took a bulk of the criticism after the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference was ousted by Atlanta in the second round.

But a herniated disk kept him from making a late-season debut and forced him to get offseason surgery.

Ben Simmons makes his long-awaited debut for the Brooklyn Nets in a pre-season game against his former side the Philadelphia 76ers Monday night

Fully cleared now, Simmons was in the starting lineup and finished with six points, five assists and four rebounds in 19 minutes. He went weakly out of Philadelphia, with the last memory of the 2016 No. 1 pick’s time there passing up a layup down the stretch of the Game 7 loss to the Hawks. But he looked confident pushing the ball in transition or playmaking from the post – though did miss his only two free throws.

Simmons said he thought he would feel nervous but didn’t. Durant recalled feeling anxious when he returned after missing the 2019-20 season after Achilles tendon surgery.

‘You wonder how your lungs are going to feel playing in an organized game because playing pickup, working out is different than playing in a game,’ Durant said. ‘So you just want to see where your legs are on the jump shot. So being away for a year, you get a lot of anxiety coming back. I know I did.’

The three-time All-Star played 19 minutes in the first half and finished with six points

The Australian star was explosive at times, playing multiple positions as he was used at point guard and center. 

With Simmons on court, the Nets finally had all three of their big stars on the floor at the same time. 

Kevin Durant had 13 points for the Nets, Kyrie Irving had nine points and four assists and Simmons added six points and five assists. 

But Simmons and the Nets could no clinch a win against his former team as Tyrese Maxey scored 20 points, Julian Champagnie and Furkan Korkmaz finished with 15 each to see the Philadelphia 76ers defeat Brooklyn 127-108. 

The Australian star was explosive at times and was used at point guard and center

With Simmons on court, the Nets finally had all three of their big stars on the floor at the same time. Kevin Durant (let) had 13 points and Kyrie Irving (right) had nine points

The marquee matchup Monday featured potentially two of the strongest teams in the Eastern Conference with superstars on both squads. There are the questions about Simmons, traded last season to the Nets for James Harden, and whether pairing him with Durant, Irving and other pieces will be enough for the Nets to eclipse last season´s disappointing 44-38 record.

As for the Sixers, having Harden with MVP runner-up Joel Embiid for a full season should solidify Philadelphia´s spot as a top contender in the East.

But the full vision of those connections will have to wait.

For the preseason opener, the Sixers played a shell of their regular rotation. Embiid, Harden, newcomers Danuel House Jr. and P.J. Tucker took the night off.

Simmons was traded last season to the Nets for James Harden (left), who did not play Monday

Maxey took up the offensive slack with the absences, as the Sixers took an early lead with the help of 8-for-14 shooting on 3-pointers in the first quarter.

By the time halftime arrived, Philadelphia still held the lead behind Maxey´s 20 points. The three keys for the Nets – Durant, Irving and Simmons – played 19 minutes, and their night was done.

By the midway point of the third quarter, both teams had moved on to their reserves in what became a close game until the Sixers pulled away, outscoring the Nets 36-24 in the third.