The Sixers host the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday night and Shams and Woj are both reporting that Ben Simmons won’t play. We already guessed this, but now it’s pretty much official:

Even if Ben is just sitting on the bench the entire time, he’s still gonna get reamed out.

If I was the director in charge of the jumbotron, I would be really petty. I would instruct the camera operators to cut to Simmons during every break in action, and just hold that shot. For real. First time out? Put Simmons on the jumbotron and just leave that shot up until the players walk back onto the court. First commercial break? Let the Sixers drum line do their thing, but show Ben on video instead. Even during halftime I would do this. The Red Panda could be flipping bowls up onto her head while riding a unicycle, but I want cameras positioned by the locker room, waiting for Ben to emerge. Show no mercy. This is very important. We need to get to the jumbotron director before the game and make clear these instructions.