Ben Simmons to reunite with high-school teammate D’Angelo Russell when Sixers take on Nets

Ben Simmons says he hasn’t spoken to D’Angelo Russell since he found out that the 76ers would be playing Russell’s Brooklyn Nets in the first round of the NBA Eastern Conference playoffs,.

Besides being first-time All-Stars this season, Simmons and Russell have something else in common: They were teammates for two seasons at Florida’s Montverde Academy, located outside of Orlando.

When asked if he will reach out to Russell before Saturday’s 2:30 p.m. opener at the Wells Fargo Center, Simmons said, “Probably not.”

When asked about Russell’s breakout season, Simmons said, "Amazing. I am happy at what he is doing.”

Russell was drafted No. 2 overall out of Ohio State by the Los Angeles Lakers in 2014. He spent two seasons in Los Angeles before being traded to Brooklyn. This season he averaged 21.1 points and 7.0 assists.

Those statistics are almost identical to what he averaged in the four games this season against the Sixers: 21.0 points and 7.3 assists.

The Sixers are expecting to see more than the usual amount of zone defense from the Nets, and sharpshooter JJ Redick thinks they will be ready.

Redick said the Sixers started preparing more for facing zones when they played in Charlotte on March 19, which resulted in a 118-114 win. He said games against Brooklyn and Miami also gave the Sixers a good look at the zone.

“I think we have done enough now that we can be organized against the zone,” Redick said. “Sometimes that is half the battle -- being organized.”

Redick is a true zone buster. He is averaging a career-high 18.1 points and shooting 39.7 percent from three-point range.

Sixers coach Brett Brown and several players said the one lesson they learned in the postseason last year is that every possession is critical.

With that being the case, the team that enjoys the better success from the free-throw line should have a major advantage.

In the regular season, the Sixers were 16th in the NBA in foul shooting (.771). The Nets were just 24th (.745).

Both teams got to the free-throw line frequently. The Sixers were second in the NBA in free-throw attempts, averaging 27.5 per game. The Nets were tied for third at 25.5.

Simmons, who improved his free-throw shooting from 56 to 60 percent this season, will likely get fouled in late-game situations if the Nets are trailing.

In last season’s playoffs, Simmons did shoot 70.7 percent from the foul line (41-for-58), a figure the Sixers would likely settle for this postseason.