Ten days ago, the idea of Ben Simmons making his return to Philadelphia and actually playing in a game was unfathomable.
The Brooklyn Nets had just played the LA Clippers and Simmons looked wholly out of sorts: timid, uncomfortable, unsure of his role on the team. The Nets beat the Clippers, 110-95, but Simmons was barely a footnote in the box score, finishing with two points in 14 ineffectual minutes.
The next night against the Los Angeles Lakers, Simmons was a late scratch with knee soreness. Such a late scratch, he spent 10 minutes behind closed doors after the game with Nets general manager Sean Marks, the two discussing how Simmons needed to communicate better to avoid a repeat of the situation.