After missing all of the 2021-22 season due to physical and mental health concerns, Ben Simmons finally returned to action Monday night at Barclays Center.
The three-time All-Star joined Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in the lineup for the first time as the Nets opened the preseason against none other than Simmons’s former team, the 76ers. The versatile forward recorded six points, five assists, four rebounds and two turnovers in 19 minutes as the Sixers topped the Nets, 127–108.
The matchup marked Simmons’s first since June 20, 2021 when the Sixers took on the Hawks in an infamous Game 7 loss in the Eastern Conference semifinals.