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Joel Embiid spent two full seasons on the shelf with injury and that experience appears to help him identify with fellow Philadelphia 76ers rookie Ben Simmons. On New Year’s Eve, Simmons posted a photo Instagram that included Embiid and Sixers teammates Nik Stauskas, Nerlens Noel and T.J. McConnell.
In following up, Jessica Camerato of CSN Philly spoke with Embiid and that outing was not an accident given the relationship between the two highly touted prospects.
“That’s something I feel like Ben is going to appreciate a lot because I was in that type of situation. When I was by myself I felt kind of left alone and when I had guys around me it just made me feel better.”
Embiid’s empathy with Simmons makes a ton of sense given that he, likely more than anyone, would perfectly recognize what Simmons is going through as something of an outsider from his teammates. Noel also dealt with injury issues early in his career, helping to lead something of a mentoring relationship between the two young bigs, and his presence also speaks volumes.
Sixers head coach Brett Brown is, understandably, quite happy that his most talented players are getting along and spending time together.
“That’s fantastic. I really like stuff like that. You know how important is it to all of us to grow a continuity, a family. When you have people in and out, in and out, and people’s future are uncertain, words end up cheap. To grow that type of thing off the floor is the holy grail. You combine that work they’re doing on the floor with stuff where they interact and coexist, it’s not the be all or end all, but it certainly helps. That stuff is very pleasing to me.”
Simmons previously referred to his relationship with Embiid by saying they are “like brothers,” and this isn’t the first time we’ve heard of the two bonding. Still, it is yet another reason to root for both players. Embiid’s continuing status as one of the darlings of the NBA is now further cemented.
