The Ben Simmons Megathread

[Ericb5]

Thing is- when was the last time the Sixers started out the gate strong? We've always started slow. I know it's completely different teams, but the real struggle will be Simmons learning how to control the tempo of games in the 4th quarter. How confident are we that Embiid won't be on minute restrictions? He most likely will be, as well as Simmons.

Bryan said that Embiid won't be on minutes restrictions this year. I guess the proof will be in the pudding though.


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Pretty sure BB said the next day that Embiid's minute restrictions are still being evaluated. The numbers Embiid could put up without a minute restriction are going to be ridiculous. He was pretty easily putting up 20 and 8 in 20-25 minutes early last season. And put up 23 and 9 in 25-30 minutes per game in January. It all comes down to Embiid. If Embiid is getting 30-35 minutes per game at the start of the season, and stays healthy, the sky is the limit.

I expect Embiid to be at about 28 and 12 if he plays 30-32 mpg this year. He will continue to improve on his own, but playing with Simmons will mean that he will get his points much easier.

If I were the Sixers, I would let him loose on minutes as long as he feels good. I think 32 minutes or so might be his natural sweet spot anyway at this point since he still fouls at a high rate.

Then on back to backs he should sit out one of the games sometimes, and then play 20 min or so in the second one of them sometimes. Basically try to take all of his rest days on back to backs, but not on all back to backs. Just play him fewer minutes on some of them.

What I don't want to see him do is pump fake guys at the 3 point line and make strong drives to the hoop. That results in some monster slams, but it also puts him in physical jeopardy when he is out of control.

I want him to take 3's when open, but I don't want him to turn into a playmaker out there. Let Ben and Markelle do that.

If Embiid has the ball in his hands at the 3 point line and a defender is closing out on him, I would have him either shoot it over the top, or find Simmons or Fultz.

The ball should be played through Embiid, and finished with Embiid much of the time, but the playmaking outside of 15 feet should be from our other guys. Outside of 15 feet I want Embiid to be a shooter or a passer. Not a ball handler.



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[Mrcrockpots]

Bryan said that Embiid won't be on minutes restrictions this year. I guess the proof will be in the pudding though.


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Pretty sure BB said the next day that Embiid's minute restrictions are still being evaluated. The numbers Embiid could put up without a minute restriction are going to be ridiculous. He was pretty easily putting up 20 and 8 in 20-25 minutes early last season. And put up 23 and 9 in 25-30 minutes per game in January. It all comes down to Embiid. If Embiid is getting 30-35 minutes per game at the start of the season, and stays healthy, the sky is the limit.

I expect Embiid to be at about 28 and 12 if he plays 30-32 mpg this year. He will continue to improve on his own, but playing with Simmons will mean that he will get his points much easier.

If I were the Sixers, I would let him loose on minutes as long as he feels good. I think 32 minutes or so might be his natural sweet spot anyway at this point since he still fouls at a high rate.

Then on back to backs he should sit out one of the games sometimes, and then play 20 min or so in the second one of them sometimes. Basically try to take all of his rest days on back to backs, but not on all back to backs. Just play him fewer minutes on some of them.

What I don't want to see him do is pump fake guys at the 3 point line and make strong drives to the hoop. That results in some monster slams, but it also puts him in physical jeopardy when he is out of control.

I want him to take 3's when open, but I don't want him to turn into a playmaker out there. Let Ben and Markelle do that.

If Embiid has the ball in his hands at the 3 point line and a defender is closing out on him, I would have him either shoot it over the top, or find Simmons or Fultz.

The ball should be played through Embiid, and finished with Embiid much of the time, but the playmaking outside of 15 feet should be from our other guys. Outside of 15 feet I want Embiid to be a shooter or a passer. Not a ball handler.



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Completely agree. Looking forward to a new but similar offense by BB where the goal is to get Embiid the ball in good spots near the rim. Like you said, I do NOT want to see Embiid setting a screen at the 3 point line. That should never happen again.

[Simmons25]

Completely agree. Looking forward to a new but similar offense by BB where the goal is to get Embiid the ball in good spots near the rim. Like you said, I do NOT want to see Embiid setting a screen at the 3 point line. That should never happen again.

Why wouldn't you have Embiid do that? He is a 3 point threat and drags bigs out of the paint and completely opens up space at the rim for guys like Simmons, Fultz, Covington to slash. It would be taking away one of the major weapons we have.

The problem is the fact he doesn't land properly after he dunks... but he just needs to get it into his mind that he isn't playing beach volleyball anymore and can't keep landing like he is on sand.

[Mrcrockpots]

Completely agree. Looking forward to a new but similar offense by BB where the goal is to get Embiid the ball in good spots near the rim. Like you said, I do NOT want to see Embiid setting a screen at the 3 point line. That should never happen again.

Why wouldn't you have Embiid do that? He is a 3 point threat and drags bigs out of the paint and completely opens up space at the rim for guys like Simmons, Fultz, Covington to slash. It would be taking away one of the major weapons we have.

The problem is the fact he doesn't land properly after he dunks... but he just needs to get it into his mind that he isn't playing beach volleyball anymore and can't keep landing like he is on sand.

Fine with it in the right dosages. Having Embiid at the 3 pt line should not be a priority by any means.

[Simmons25]

Completely agree. Looking forward to a new but similar offense by BB where the goal is to get Embiid the ball in good spots near the rim. Like you said, I do NOT want to see Embiid setting a screen at the 3 point line. That should never happen again.

Why wouldn't you have Embiid do that? He is a 3 point threat and drags bigs out of the paint and completely opens up space at the rim for guys like Simmons, Fultz, Covington to slash. It would be taking away one of the major weapons we have.

The problem is the fact he doesn't land properly after he dunks... but he just needs to get it into his mind that he isn't playing beach volleyball anymore and can't keep landing like he is on sand.

Fine with it in the right dosages. Having Embiid at the 3 pt line should not be a priority by any means.

Of course but I wouldn't go as far as saying "never want to see him setting a screen at the 3 point line ever again". It has the potential of being one of our most unstoppable plays especially now with Ben and Markelle playing the pick and roll out there. Markelle being the 3 point and driving threat and Simmons being unstoppable going to the basket against mismatches.

Joel just needs to learn how to land but that's on everything... dunks blocks you name it. I don't know if he ever will though.

[Chris76]

Why wouldn't you have Embiid do that? He is a 3 point threat and drags bigs out of the paint and completely opens up space at the rim for guys like Simmons, Fultz, Covington to slash. It would be taking away one of the major weapons we have.

The problem is the fact he doesn't land properly after he dunks... but he just needs to get it into his mind that he isn't playing beach volleyball anymore and can't keep landing like he is on sand.

Fine with it in the right dosages. Having Embiid at the 3 pt line should not be a priority by any means.

Of course but I wouldn't go as far as saying "never want to see him setting a screen at the 3 point line ever again". It has the potential of being one of our most unstoppable plays especially now with Ben and Markelle playing the pick and roll out there. Markelle being the 3 point and driving threat and Simmons being unstoppable going to the basket against mismatches.

Joel just needs to learn how to land but that's on everything... dunks blocks you name it. I don't know if he ever will though.

Embiid should get better post looks with a more talented squad. Hopefully, his shots will be less stressful and risky.

[Kolkmania]

Bryan said that Embiid won't be on minutes restrictions this year. I guess the proof will be in the pudding though.


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Pretty sure BB said the next day that Embiid's minute restrictions are still being evaluated. The numbers Embiid could put up without a minute restriction are going to be ridiculous. He was pretty easily putting up 20 and 8 in 20-25 minutes early last season. And put up 23 and 9 in 25-30 minutes per game in January. It all comes down to Embiid. If Embiid is getting 30-35 minutes per game at the start of the season, and stays healthy, the sky is the limit.

I expect Embiid to be at about 28 and 12 if he plays 30-32 mpg this year. He will continue to improve on his own, but playing with Simmons will mean that he will get his points much easier.

If I were the Sixers, I would let him loose on minutes as long as he feels good. I think 32 minutes or so might be his natural sweet spot anyway at this point since he still fouls at a high rate.

Then on back to backs he should sit out one of the games sometimes, and then play 20 min or so in the second one of them sometimes. Basically try to take all of his rest days on back to backs, but not on all back to backs. Just play him fewer minutes on some of them.

What I don't want to see him do is pump fake guys at the 3 point line and make strong drives to the hoop. That results in some monster slams, but it also puts him in physical jeopardy when he is out of control.

I want him to take 3's when open, but I don't want him to turn into a playmaker out there. Let Ben and Markelle do that.

If Embiid has the ball in his hands at the 3 point line and a defender is closing out on him, I would have him either shoot it over the top, or find Simmons or Fultz.

The ball should be played through Embiid, and finished with Embiid much of the time, but the playmaking outside of 15 feet should be from our other guys. Outside of 15 feet I want Embiid to be a shooter or a passer. Not a ball handler.

Those drives helped him being efficient despite his extremely high usage rate, since it either resulted in a dunk or a foul. His .569 FTr is incredible.
Setting screens is a facet he really needs to improve, proper screens lead to more space for the ball handler, which forces the big to step up which in turn leads to more chances for Embiid himself. He made some progress throughout the season in that aspect, but I'm not sure if the training staff is emphasizing it enough (I haven't seen Okafor set a proper screen in two years).

I'm so excited for this season, Ben Simmons/Joel Embiid P&R's from the elbow, Ben Simmons/Markelle Fultz P&R's with Embiid in the corner or under the basket for easy dishes, Markelle Fultz/Joel Embiid P&Pop's, etc.

[Mrcrockpots]

Yea I misspoke. I'm ok with Embiid getting the ball at the 3 point line when he's the last one down to set up the half court offense. I'm not a fan, however, of any play that involves Embiid taking 3 dribbles to get to the rim. These tend to be the plays that often lead to Embiid awkwardly landing on the floor.

[eyeatoma]

Saw this about Simmons this morning... It's fine that he doesn't want to play the game, but I can see this rubbing some people the wrong way. It goes with his persona which some people think is hyper focused, and very business like, and the other is that he has this "air" about him... I'm not sure what to think. It's gonna take his performance during the season for me to really be able to make a call as far as what his mentality is...

http://uproxx.com/dimemag/ben-simmons-nba-2k18-rating-tweet-call-of-duty-sixers/

[Kolkmania]

Saw this about Simmons this morning... It's fine that he doesn't want to play the game, but I can see this rubbing some people the wrong way. It goes with his persona which some people think is hyper focused, and very business like, and the other is that he has this "air" about him... I'm not sure what to think. It's gonna take his performance during the season for me to really be able to make a call as far as what his mentality is...

http://uproxx.com/dimemag/ben-simmons-nba-2k18-rating-tweet-call-of-duty-sixers/

2K suffers from megalomania to be honest, they assume that every player cares about a video game rating. I read their last blog from a developer who wrote a code for their rating system and he insinuated that players are motivated to play better to get their ratings up.

[Simmons25]

Saw this about Simmons this morning... It's fine that he doesn't want to play the game, but I can see this rubbing some people the wrong way. It goes with his persona which some people think is hyper focused, and very business like, and the other is that he has this "air" about him... I'm not sure what to think. It's gonna take his performance during the season for me to really be able to make a call as far as what his mentality is...

http://uproxx.com/dimemag/ben-simmons-nba-2k18-rating-tweet-call-of-duty-sixers/

LOL I saw this as it was happening and thought he was joking around... and then it seemed Ronnie2K18 was the one getting butt hurt over it because he was honest about not playing the game. These NBA2K nerds must think they are personal friends with every NBA player or something because they built a computer game.

Simmons has been obsessed with Call of Duty ever since he was a kid. So much so that he tried out as a kid to join "Optic" which are one of the most well known COD teams in the world. Still plays today.. and definitely has those hand eye coordination skills happening.

Watch on YouTube

[Mrcrockpots]

LOL that was great

[Ericb5]

Pretty sure BB said the next day that Embiid's minute restrictions are still being evaluated. The numbers Embiid could put up without a minute restriction are going to be ridiculous. He was pretty easily putting up 20 and 8 in 20-25 minutes early last season. And put up 23 and 9 in 25-30 minutes per game in January. It all comes down to Embiid. If Embiid is getting 30-35 minutes per game at the start of the season, and stays healthy, the sky is the limit.

I expect Embiid to be at about 28 and 12 if he plays 30-32 mpg this year. He will continue to improve on his own, but playing with Simmons will mean that he will get his points much easier.

If I were the Sixers, I would let him loose on minutes as long as he feels good. I think 32 minutes or so might be his natural sweet spot anyway at this point since he still fouls at a high rate.

Then on back to backs he should sit out one of the games sometimes, and then play 20 min or so in the second one of them sometimes. Basically try to take all of his rest days on back to backs, but not on all back to backs. Just play him fewer minutes on some of them.

What I don't want to see him do is pump fake guys at the 3 point line and make strong drives to the hoop. That results in some monster slams, but it also puts him in physical jeopardy when he is out of control.

I want him to take 3's when open, but I don't want him to turn into a playmaker out there. Let Ben and Markelle do that.

If Embiid has the ball in his hands at the 3 point line and a defender is closing out on him, I would have him either shoot it over the top, or find Simmons or Fultz.

The ball should be played through Embiid, and finished with Embiid much of the time, but the playmaking outside of 15 feet should be from our other guys. Outside of 15 feet I want Embiid to be a shooter or a passer. Not a ball handler.

Those drives helped him being efficient despite his extremely high usage rate, since it either resulted in a dunk or a foul. His .569 FTr is incredible.
Setting screens is a facet he really needs to improve, proper screens lead to more space for the ball handler, which forces the big to step up which in turn leads to more chances for Embiid himself. He made some progress throughout the season in that aspect, but I'm not sure if the training staff is emphasizing it enough (I haven't seen Okafor set a proper screen in two years).

I'm so excited for this season, Ben Simmons/Joel Embiid P&R's from the elbow, Ben Simmons/Markelle Fultz P&R's with Embiid in the corner or under the basket for easy dishes, Markelle Fultz/Joel Embiid P&Pop's, etc.

I know that those drives were effective. I just don't want him doing them. I don't want him barreling to the hoop in traffic from over 20 feet away.

He is a good enough shooter from deep to force closeouts, but he doesn't have to pump fake and drive. Just let the fact that he is drawing a big out of the paint be enough, and either shoot over the top, or get the Ball to Simmons to drive.





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[Unbreakable99]

Saw this about Simmons this morning... It's fine that he doesn't want to play the game, but I can see this rubbing some people the wrong way. It goes with his persona which some people think is hyper focused, and very business like, and the other is that he has this "air" about him... I'm not sure what to think. It's gonna take his performance during the season for me to really be able to make a call as far as what his mentality is...

http://uproxx.com/dimemag/ben-simmons-nba-2k18-rating-tweet-call-of-duty-sixers/

I don't have a problem with that. I don't care what athletes do in their personal life. I just want the most to ball out. Simmons no to plahing NBA2K is a bad thing and makes him weird or business like? Come on. Simmons is business like but it's not because he doesn't play 2K.

[Ericb5]

Simmons has great intangibles.

It's a pity that he has a Mike Schmidt kind of personality which will make some people not like him.

He just doesn't have your typical NBA superstar personality, and that is fine.

Embiid has enough personality for the whole team.


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[HotelVitale]

I expect Embiid to be at about 28 and 12 if he plays 30-32 mpg this year. He will continue to improve on his own, but playing with Simmons will mean that he will get his points much easier.

Might be overshooting what he's capable of next year. He was only at about 28pts per 36 minutes last year, and he already had the third highest usage rating in the league to get there (remember he turned the ball over at a ridiculous rate last season, which lowered his pts: usage ratio despite his good %s). I'd be happy with 22/10 while upping his fg%, keeping his 3pt%, and lowering his TOs (and playing well down the stretch). I'd rather see him settle in more as a sophomore than go nuts and put up crazy #s with like 7 TOs and 5+ fouls a night.

I also hope that Simmons and Fultz are taking their fair share of possessions up too.

[Ericb5]

I expect Embiid to be at about 28 and 12 if he plays 30-32 mpg this year. He will continue to improve on his own, but playing with Simmons will mean that he will get his points much easier.

Might be overshooting what he's capable of next year. He was only at about 28pts per 36 minutes last year, and he already had the third highest usage rating in the league to get there (remember he turned the ball over at a ridiculous rate last season, which lowered his pts: usage ratio despite his good %s). I'd be happy with 22/10 while upping his fg%, keeping his 3pt%, and lowering his TOs (and playing well down the stretch). I'd rather see him settle in more as a sophomore than go nuts and put up crazy #s with like 7 TOs and 5+ fouls a night.

I also hope that Simmons and Fultz are taking their fair share of possessions up too.

His usage rate should come down, but his efficiency should go up. He was really killing it in January before the knee problem.

Just think of the difference of playing with Simmons and how he will get so many more easy scoring opportunities. Even playing with shooters like Fultz and Redick should give him more space, and make him more efficient:

I won't say that I will be disappointed with less than 28-12, but I think that that is where he will end up this season if he plays enough minutes. Maybe 25-28 and 10-12 would be more accurate.

What would a young Hakeem or David Robinson average on this team? That's where I expect him to be.


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[KrazySixersD]

If he gets 30mpg then I see 24 ppg and 11 rpg and 3 bpg

Simmons,fultz, and reddick are gona get shots too

[LloydFree]

If he gets 30mpg then I see 24 ppg and 11 rpg and 3 bpg

Simmons,fultz, and reddick are gona get shots too

So basically the best rookie season in the history of the League.

[Unbreakable99]

If he gets 30mpg then I see 24 ppg and 11 rpg and 3 bpg

Simmons,fultz, and reddick are gona get shots too

I'm the biggest Simmons fan on earth and even I think that's far fetched lol. I think it may look more like 16 points 7 rebounds 6 assists. I think with him playing further away on offense and may play more perimeter defense his rebounding may go down so that's why I say 7. He still can't shoot but does get to the line a lot and can drive so I think he can probably score more than 16 but 16 seems very doable. His assists may fluctuate. I don't know if he will be a double digit assist guy. And he's definitely not a shot blocker. I'd be happy if he averaged .8 blocks per game.