Georges Niang Keeps Thoughts on Ben Simmons to Himself

The Philadelphia 76ers are set to take the floor for the second time this week on Thursday, to face their division rival, the Brooklyn Nets.

While it's technically just another regular-season game, the matchup has a lot of juice to it these days as the Nets now employ former Philadelphia first pick, Ben Simmons.

For months, the Simmons saga was nothing more than a distraction for the 76ers. As Simmons made it crystal clear he wanted out, the star guard took several approaches to force Philadelphia's hand to make a trade happen.

Whether it was not showing up -- or showing up and becoming a total distraction in practice -- Simmons did all he could to have his wishes granted.

Along the way, he ruffled some feathers within the organization. While several teammates of his attempted to show support throughout the saga, many were happy to put everything in the rearview following the big trade.

Georges Niang Keeps His Thoughts Private

Sixers veteran forward Georges Niang signed with the team over the summer following a stint in Utah. When he inked a deal with the Sixers, Niang express excitement to have the ability to play with Simmons. 

Unfortunately, he never had the opportunity to do so. Simmons sat out for the entire regular season before getting traded. When asked about Simmons on the eve of the star guard's return to Philadelphia, Niang kept his thoughts to himself.

"I'm going to try to answer this the best way I can. It is what it is. We have who we have in this locker room. But I think we're happy with who we have in this locker room. I'm just going to leave it at that. It is what it is. He knows what he did or what he had to do to get himself right. Whether that's right or wrong or indifferent, that's not my place to speak on. Obviously, I have my thoughts about Ben. But if he's happy where he's at, then let him be happy. We're happy we have guys in this locker room that wants to be here." via Kyle Neubeck

Any frustration aimed towards Simmons from current Sixers is certainly understandable. Considering the team just wanted to stick together and win games, Simmons' antics behind the scenes served as nothing more than a distraction.

While everybody, including Niang, understands that Simmons could no longer play for the organization while giving his best effort, the way the situation unfolded certainly wasn't ideal for everybody involved. Fortunately, the situation is resolved for all parties involved and they can all focus on the remainder of the season. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.