NBA Rookie Breakdown: #25 Ben Simmons

Back again with the 3rd Installment of the NBA Rookie Breakdown with the #1 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, #25 Ben Simmons.  Drafted out of LSU by the Philadelphia 76ers, Simmons is one of the most coveted draft prospects that the NBA has seen in a little while.  While he was drafted at 6’10”, many reports say that in his season off last year he grew to 7’0” tall.  If those reports are true we are looking at Simmons being a 7’0” 240 lbs. player with the ability to play any position on the floor.  He has more playmaking ability than most point guards in the game but also has the length, size, and ability to play the small forward and power forward.  Simmons is going to be a threat in the NBA in just his first season and is going to allow the Sixers to be a tough team to match-up against.  

In 4 games of the 2016 Las Vegas Summer League, Simmons posted 12.3 ppg 7.8 rpg and 5.5 apg in 30.3 mpg respectively. In last year’s summer league, Simmons went out and completely blew everyone away with his all-around ability to do everything.  He was the Sixers’ primary ball handler and showed off not only his passing ability, but showed his passing IQ and basketball IQ were way beyond his years.  For a guy his size, it is very unnatural to have outstanding passing ability.  Simmons possesses talent that not many guys in the NBA have.  In watching his tape from a year ago, I was extremely impressed and in my second time viewing it, this time a year later, I was even more impressed with his abilities to be the main playmaker on the floor.  He plays like he has eyes in the back of his head and has such natural ability that he knows where the open man always is.  Even though the Sixers have drafted Markelle Fultz this season, Simmons is extremely set on being the point guard, and if that is the case, Fultz and Simmons will make an outstanding combo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQAwDojUXOs

Simmons not only has the passing IQ and ability to play the point guard, but he certainly has the athleticism to do so.  Simmons has outstanding athleticism, and although I don’t like comparing players, he has a similar skillset to that of Giannis Antetokounmpo. That tall and lengthy player with the ability to do everything for his team, from playmaking to attacking the rim to rebounding the basketball to playing above the rim and showing his raw athleticism.  Simmons can take off from almost anywhere on the floor and dunk the ball on defenders.  He runs the fast break well, and although he is not the fastest player, he is a quick athlete and can run the floor with the likes of the top talents in the NBA.

Although Simmons has all-star pouring out of him, he has some question marks.  One of the big question marks is his jump shot.   Even though he did hit some shots from midrange, his shot has looked bad. He cannot shoot the three ball very well and his midrange jumper is inconsistent.   The relieving thing is his summer league footage is from a year ago and he has had a full year to get in the gym to develop his jump shot before he steps onto the court as an NBA player for the first time.  The second question mark lies with how his foot will hold up and how durable he is.  Simmons missed all of last season due to a broken foot he suffered before the start of the 2016-17 season.  Although he missed all of last year, part of it was the Sixers holding him out to ensure his health for the 2017-18 season.  I am in big hope that this is a one time injury and that he can play the entire season along side his injury plagued teammate Joel Embiid.  

If all of his team’s assets are alongside him, the Sixers could make the playoffs and make a solid run throughout the postseason as well.  Since he was held out for precaution last season, Simmons should have zero restriction on his minutes this season and we should see a full workload for him at the start of the season.  His size and ability allows the Sixers to play extremely tall but athletic and can be tough to matchup against.  Look for a tall lineup with Simmons, Fultz, Robert Covington, Dario Saric, and Embiid to really dominate other teams shooting the basketball and playing big on their opponents.

ROLE PREDICTION: Simmons is slated to be a big time starter for the Sixers this season.  Look for him to be a guy playing 32-38 minutes per game especially in their playoff push.

Ben Simmons will not only be a lock for the All-Rookie First Team, but will be voted as the 2017 NBA Rookie of the Year.  He will get more than enough playing time to secure this spot and I believe he is the most talented all around player in this Rookie Class.

Written by Nick Kazandjian