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Simmons, now 18, will be the most scrutinized freshman in the country when he takes the court this fall, and by far the biggest star the LSU men's basketball program has seen since Shaq.

But Simmons appears uniquely positioned to handle all of it, and handle it well — the pressure that comes along with carrying a program, the bull's eye on his back, the lead-up to potentially being the top pick in next year's NBA draft. His Aussie roots and his American basketball experiences have blended to create a 6-foot-10 selfless, yet utterly dominant basketball player. And his deep family ties have grounded him throughout all of it.

"You don't want to put the whammy on him by comparing him to Magic Johnson and LeBron and Tracy McGrady, but he's going to be a positionless star," says ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla, who leads the network's international basketball coverage. "You're going to be able to put him on the court anywhere essentially at LSU, and he's going to be successful. He is a quintessential point forward. He's going to be Johnny Jones' coach on the floor. He's a marvelous talent, excellent athlete, great basketball instincts.

"It would be absolutely stunning to me, barring injury, if he's not the No. 1 pick in 2016."......


.....Simmons decision to spurn NCAA championship contenders for LSU did not surprise those close to him.

"Ben's a little crazy in that Ben doesn't want to play with the quote-unquote top five players in the country and win a championship," Liam Simmons says. "He wants to play with good players, in their right great players, and go out and beat the Kentuckys and the Dukes, the North Carolinas of the world. He'd love nothing more than to go into Kentucky and beat them … rather than go to Kentucky and win a championship because that's expected."

"I don't see why we can't be the best team in the SEC," he says. "Kentucky has good players but we have good players, too. It depends what leaders you have, who can lead. Me going to LSU is huge because I have to be a freshman and lead. I could have gone to Kentucky and been one of the other guys just playing there and trying to leave.

"For me, though, I want to leave a legacy — and that's at LSU."

kennydorglas wrote:I'm already scouting all UK players.

ATTL wrote:Who will be there at 12-14?

ATTL wrote:Who will be there at 12-14?

bwgood77 wrote:I love Ben Simmons' attitude. I love the fact that he wants to go to a program that isn't great, but hopes he can make them great. I know he will almost for sure go #1, but hey, if we are in the lottery next year, we will have a chance, no matter what our projected pick is.

saintEscaton wrote:

Thon Maker looks and sounds like a d 2K player from an auto-generated 2K draft class. He might not be a KD in the making but he's intriguing enough for us to take a gamble on his developmental upside if he lasts to our pick