Although the Nets promised it was going to be a comeback season for their starting guard, Ben Simmons, it seems they are taking a cautionary approach to it all. In what could have been a statement game for the star hooper against Philly, Brooklyn chose to rest their oft-injured Australian forward/guard.

Coach Jordi Fernandez had already made it clear that out of the four preseason games, Ben Simmons will only be playing three of them. The Brooklyn side is already coming into the game shorthanded because of the absence of players like Nic Claxton. And the matchup they chose to sit him out turned out to be against the dicey 76ers, much to the chagrin of the fans.

Philly Inquirer‘s Keith Pompey tweeted, “Nets guard/forward Ben Simmons is not playing tonight vs. the Sixers,” and the comment section was filled with some insane rebuttals.

Take this guy, for example. “Ben Simmons ducking the Sixers?” wrote @RBPhillyTake, a 76ers analyst for the Bleacher Report. Interestingly, the hooper’s former team is also missing key players like Joel Embiid (load management), Paul George (bone bruise), and Kyle Lowry (rest).

The 3x All-Star has lost quite a lot of playing time thanks to injuries hitting him left, right, and center. Right after his trade from Philadelphia in 2022, Ben Simmons suffered a series of injuries that caused him to be ruled out for the remainder of the season. It began with a herniated back disk, which was then followed by back soreness. Finally, Simmons underwent a back surgery.

However, things didn’t get much better. The next year, he suffered from a combination of knee soreness and nerve impingement in his back. Needless to say, the Nets shut down Simmons. In two seasons with Brooklyn, the 28-year-old played in just 57 games, averaging some of the lowest numbers – 6.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 6.0 assists while shooting 43.1% from the free-throw line.

As for tonight’s preseason absence, Ben’s history with Philly makes it all the more intense.

Ben Simmons gets the short end of the stick for sitting out a 76ers matchup

“But I thought he’s back and it’s scary season lmfao,” said one user, followed by a clown emoji. The offseason workout videos and practice sessions certainly had everyone looking forward to Simmons’ big comeback. While many opined that it was something the hooper’s camp posted prior to every season, there were a few who truly believed this year was going to be different. And what better way to prove that than going against the 76ers with whom he had a less-than-pleasant exit? And that’s putting it mildly.

Moving on, this next user seems to belong to the believer’s squad. How much longer, though, is something we will have to wait and see. “Half the reason I got a ticket tonight good Lord. I actually counted on Ben Simmons playing basketball, wow,” tweeted the fan. Sorry to disappoint! We’ve all been amped up about this one thing at least once in life and it just falls flat, quite the sinking feeling.

A few others have decided on the sarcastic route. Take this individual, for instance. And they have chosen Phoebe Buffay from Friends to attack Ben Simmons! The user, after commenting, “Least surprising news ever,” added a GIF of the actor’s iconic ‘That is brand new information’ snippet with Joey Tribbiani, beside her, pretending to be stunned.

And finally, this hardcore Philadelphia fan is absolutely unhappy with the update in itself, it seems. “We didn’t need the tweet. Ben doesn’t play anymore. He just cosplays as a basketball player. Halloween is every day for him,” they wrote. Quite creative but saddening at the same time.

Clearly, many were hoping for Ben Simmons to suit up against Philly (to avenge himself, perhaps), despite the absence of Joel Embiid. On JJ Redick’s The Old Man and the Three Podcast, the hooper admitted that his ‘mental health’ had reached an all-time low in the second round of the 2022 NBA Playoffs. Simmons, however, began sensing that no one supported him in Philly in his tough times.

“The first thing for me was to identify like, okay, I gotta get right, and it’s not a physical thing — it’s mentally,” Simmons explained and that’s when he decided that it was time to head to a new team, which turned out to be the Nets.

Hopefully, Ben Simmons can get back on track this season. It’s tough to see someone have the world at their feet but are unable to do anything to sustain the same.

Before leaving, do watch the Dual Threat Show hosted by BG12 where Bulldogs’ Asia Avinger details her experience with Kobe Bryant, her WNBA ROTY picks, and more in the video below.