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Sixers President Daryl Morey Raves About Ben Simmons' Season Debut

Daryl Morey was impressed with Ben Simmons' season debut on Wednesday night.

Justin Grasso

Over the weekend, Philadelphia 76ers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey left fans going crazy over his Twitter activity. In a now-deleted tweet, Morey re-shared a moment from last season when Houston Rockets guard James Harden broke his team's franchise assist record.

Of course, that sent Sixers fans off as the James Harden, Ben Simmons-related trade rumors continue to make rounds. For months now, Morey and the Sixers continue to make it known they intend to keep Simmons in Philly.

Last week, Philly's President of Basketball Ops even went ahead and put out a statement on the matter as it was rumored that the Sixers have displayed a willingness to include Simmons in a trade for James Harden.

"We are not trading Ben Simmons," Morey told Shams Charania of The Athletic. "He is an important part of our future.” Some believe the Sixers will hold onto Simmons for the time being, but a slow start for the Simmons-Joel Embiid duo could help Morey change his mind quickly. 

So far, one game into the 2020-2021 regular season, Morey seems to be rather pleased with Simmons this year. As HoopsHype's Twitter account asked for basketball fans' opinions on what the most impressive thing of the second slate of season-openers was, Daryl Morey responded accordingly.

Although Joel Embiid was the clear-cut MVP of the night for the 76ers in game one as he put up a team-high of 29 points in 35 minutes of playing time, Morey specifically enjoyed watching Simmons go to work in crunch time.

Not only did Simmons go 3-for-3 from the field with three boards and a block in the final six minutes or so, but he also had a game-sealing dunk, which helped the Sixers put the Wizards away with a 113-107 victory.

In total, Simmons accounted for 16 points in 32 minutes of action. Although the veteran All-Star left some meat on the bone on the offensive end of the floor with a few missed shots -- Simmons was still a critical piece in Philly's opening night victory.

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

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA  Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation.  Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association.  Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA

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