The Philadelphia 76ers and embattled star Ben Simmons have been locked in a standoff for a few weeks now as the 25-year old 3-time All-Star has been looking to force his way out of Philadelphia.
That all changed on Monday when Simmons made his surprise return to the team just before their third preseason game with the Brooklyn Nets. This comes after Simmons was fined roughly $1.5 million for missing all of training camp and now three preseason games in an effort to get him to finally report to the team.
The Sixers have maintained that this is the situation they want. They wanted Simmons to return to Philadelphia and try and mend the fences at least a little bit until December when more of the league will be available for trades.
On the flip side, the Sixers appear to want to keep Simmons for the long haul as they have added resources to help him unlock more of his game. Per Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, the Sixers have gone the extra mile after taking his physical on Tuesday:
That physical, and Wednesday’s first practice session, are just the beginning of several phases the Sixers have planned for reintegrating Simmons into their team environment. The team has individual film and weight training sessions planned. Philadelphia has consulted with various sports psychologists in the previous weeks, and the team believes it has bolstered the resources Simmons has available to improve his game, particularly by hiring a new shooting and skills coach. It would seem likely that Philadelphia will make a concerted effort to clear the air with Simmons and his teammates, particularly Joel Embiid.
Simmons can do almost everything out on the floor as he is a guy who has a ton of talent in all facets of his game. The only thing that is holding him back has been his lack of a jump shot as he really refuses to take any jumpers. It’s not that he can’t shoot, it’s that he won’t, and the Sixers are hoping to help him get over that and continue to grow him as a player.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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