Steve Nash hopes Ben Simmons ‘enjoys’ the boos from Sixers fans in his return to Philly

Ben Simmons arrived at a quiet Wells Fargo Center Thursday morning for shootaround with his new team. When he returned a few hours later, the atmosphere inside that building was much more emotionally charged.

Simmons did not play in the first 76ers-Nets game since the blockbuster trade exactly one month ago that sent Simmons (along with Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and two first-round draft picks) to Brooklyn for James Harden and Paul Millsap. Yet Simmons joined his team on the bench — and immediately received boos when the lights came up following starting-lineup introductions and fans realized Simmons had joined the Nets huddle. He sat next to Patty Mills, a fellow Aussie and longtime mentor, and cracked a smile just before tip-off.

“I hope he enjoys it,” Nets coach Steve Nash said following shootaround. “How many people in this world get to go in an arena and get booed by the entire place? I had it done to me, and I thought it was a privilege. I hope he enjoys the experience. His future is in Brooklyn. Philly has moved on. And it’s a basketball game, so let’s go out there and enjoy it.”

» READ MORE: Ben Simmons returns to Philadelphia tonight. Here’s everything you need to know.

Simmons has not yet played for the Nets because of a back flare-up that has prevented him from practicing with his new team enough for the organization to feel comfortable with him playing. He also never took the floor for the Sixers this season after demanding a trade last summer, then citing that he was not mentally ready to play. A report by PhillyVoice earlier this week said that Simmons’ camp is expected to file a grievance with the NBA soon to try to recoup fines he received for missing team activities, and that Thursday’s fan behavior could be used as evidence.

When asked when Simmons’ back could be healthy enough to play, Nash said, “I don’t know … our performance [staff] evaluates him.”

“He’s just been trying to get his back in a position where we’re safe for the long haul,” Nash said. " … He’s progressing nicely. There’s definitely a light at the end of the tunnel there, but he’s not ready to play right now.”

Drummond said that Simmons was “shooting jump shots” as the Nets wrapped up shootaround. But further comments by the veteran big man, whose first season in Philly was ended by the trade, perhaps shed some light on the disconnect between Simmons and the Sixers in the months leading up to the deal.

“What he did obviously is none of my business,” Drummond said. “I wasn’t there for it. But he’s my teammate now, and he seems to be in a good space.”

Simmons’ return to Philly was the obvious headliner of Thursday’s matchup. But it was also a return for Curry and Drummond, who were key members of the Sixers’ rotation before their inclusion in the trade.

“I enjoyed my experience here. Truly enjoyed it,” Drummond said after Thursday’s shootaround. “It was a unique situation for me to be here. The fans embraced me. I love Philadelphia. I appreciate everything that they did for me.

“The team, I miss those guys. But I’m a Net, so I’m here to beat them today.”

And for Sixers coach Doc Rivers, it’s personal.

Curry is his son-in-law, which means Rivers can “treat him like [family] again.” Rivers has also known Drummond since the player was in high school, when he roomed with Rivers’ adopted son, Adam Jones, at St. Thomas More prep in Connecticut.

Rivers believes the Sixers’ staff helped re-establish Drummond’s value after “the league had given up” on the big man when he signed a veteran’s minimum contract last summer. The coach will still engage in the occasional sarcastic text exchange with his former backup center, such as when Drummond attempted a behind-the-back, left-handed pass that went out of bounds in a game a couple weeks ago.

“I just texted him, ‘What the [expletive]? Like, what the hell was that?’” Rivers said. “He texts back, ‘I had to try it.’ But he’s playing well, man. I’m happy for him. The last couple years, he’d struggled. He came to us, and I thought we really got his motor going again. And now you’re watching him, and he’s still doing it.”

Added Drummond: “At the end of the day, [Rivers is] still family to me, regardless. … I talk to him on a regular basis, and [our relationship] still remains the same.”

Drummond, who is now the Nets’ starting center, entered Thursday averaging 10.9 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in nine games for a team that ranked 19th in the NBA in rebounding entering Thursday. Curry, who entered Thursday averaging 15.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.3 assists while shooting 44.6% from three-point range in 10 games with Brooklyn, has provided skill and shooting — especially with Joe Harris out for the rest of the season with an ankle injury.

“They’ve been really great additions for us,” Nash said.

When asked about sports rivalries, Rivers rattled off the Boston Red Sox vs. New York Yankees, Duke vs. North Carolina basketball and even the Sixers vs. Boston Celtics when he was on the other side.

Does the Simmons-Harden trade automatically vault Sixers-Nets into that category? Rivers is not quite sure. But he said, “Let’s make it one” because both teams have championship aspirations.

“That’s going to have to happen if both of us want to get the same thing, right?” Rivers said. “We have the exact same goal. At least, I think Brooklyn wants to win the world championship, and so do the Sixers. So at some point, if that’s true, then we’re probably have to go through each other. That’s just facts. …

“I think times played and history is what creates a rivalry, and we don’t have that yet.”

Nash concurred that playoff history is generally a precursor for such a distinction, “but it’s not really my expertise to define what a rivalry is.”

“Hopefully, we can develop one,” Nash added. “It would be great to play meaningful games more often.”

Even before the trade and Thursday’s matchup, these teams had partaken in some extracurriculars this season. Stars Joel Embiid and Kevin Durant have swapped words — and waved each other off the Barclays Center court — in their past two games on Dec. 16 (a Nets win) and Dec. 30 (a Sixers win).