Ben Simmons Seen at Sixers Shootaround Before Atlanta Hawks Rematch

Ben Simmons' return to the Sixers didn't go as well as the team had imagined it would. After skipping out on training camp and the preseason, Simmons showed up unannounced a few weeks back, ready to re-join his teammates.

But when Simmons finally reunited with the guys, his presence became more of a distraction than anything. After going through two full practices, Simmons was reportedly disengaged and isolating himself from everybody.

When his third practice session came up, Simmons found himself booted from practice as Doc Rivers found him to be a distraction as he wasn't "doing what everybody else was doing" during the session.

Simmons' departure that day led to a one-game suspension. And when he arrived in Camden for a private workout on Thursday, he instead sought out medical attention for back soreness rather than going through his workout.

By the time Friday rolled around, Simmons finally addressed his teammates. As he explained he wasn't mentally ready to return to the court, Simmons' teammates appreciated him speaking up and believed things were moving in the right direction.

A week later, it seems the Simmons saga is indeed moving in a positive direction. Ahead of Thursday night's game against the Detroit Pistons, Doc Rivers described Simmons as "in good spirits." He also mentioned that the three-time All-Star has participated in most, if not all, morning shootarounds at home. That was the case once again on Saturday.

A Ben Simmons sighting at shootaround this morning #Sixers pic.twitter.com/1Y751refnM
— Ky Carlin (@Ky_Carlin) October 30, 2021

The Sixers are set to take on the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night. The matchup marks the first time the 76ers will face Atlanta since they dropped Game 7 against them at the Wells Fargo Center last season.

As expected, Ben Simmons won't play. According to the Friday night injury report, Simmons has been listed as out due to personal reasons. Although he's missed all five regular-season games and is on pace to miss game No. 6 on Saturday, it seems everything's been going well for Simmons behind the scenes as of late.

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