WAYNE Selden has the endorsement of no less than Jonathon Simmons to be the next NLEX import.
“I think he will be a good fit,” said the 33-year-old Simmons of his former fellow NBA player and now successor.
A product of the Kansas program, Selden arrived in the country last Saturday night, a few hours after Simmons played his last game for the Road Warriors in a 98-94 victory over Phoenix to complete a perfect 4-0 stint with the franchise.
READ: NLEX taps Selden as Simmons replacement
Team manager Larry Fonacier admitted it wasn’t easy bringing in Selden given the Simmons situation.
“There were bumps on the road just to get him here, but finally, he has arrived,” said Fonacier as quoted in the official NLEX Faceboo page. “We are hoping that Wayne can sustain the momentum that we have.”
With just a small window with Selden’s arrival and Simmons’ departure, the two former NBA player didn’t get the chance to work out together.
Selden, 28, and who had stints with New Orleans, Memphis, Chicago, and New York, had a walk through and shooting practice with the team on Sunday, while Simms was still in bed, and then finally got to play in a 5-on-5 halfcourt game.
But while he didn’t get to practice with Selden, Simms knows his successor very well, having played against him in the NBA, especially during the 2017 playoffs when San Antonio faced Memphis in the first round of the Western Conference.
Simms was with the Spurs back then, and Selden with the Grizzlies.
Selden though, didn’t get to play a lot during the season, according to him.
“He was a young guy then. He had guys like Tony Allen, Michael Conley, a lot of guys in front of him, so he didn’t play that much,” said Simms. “But I heard he’s already doing well overseas so I’m just looking over him to come in and be impactful to the team.”
And Selden’s expectations coming over?
“He’s hoping he’s better than me,” said Simms with a smile.