Ben Simmons

[HotelVitale]

For the haters who have trouble seeing how good he is on the court. He's having one of if not the best freshman seasons ever: http://www.nola.com/lsu/index.ssf/2016/01/ben_simmons_freshman_season_ra.html

I'm not at all a hater (crossing fingers the Sixers get him), but an article written by a LSU supporter for a paper in LSU country isn't exactly a reassuring source of hype. Just taking the best stats and the best moments and giving the most optimistic view of what could happen. (In the comment section, the writer says Simmons' shooting is a non-issue because Lebron was also a weak shooter. Not dealing with a basketball titan here, just some regular dude from a sports bar.)

He uses the most basic straight-forward statistics like ppg, rebounds, assists, fg%...I'm not really sure how the fact it's a New Orleans paper has anything to do with it. The numbers are the numbers.

You're savvier than that. The guy didn't just publish a list of numbers and let them speak for themselves, he published a hype article saying Simmons is having one of the best NCAA season ever and using just the raw numbers to support that, without looking at other things. It's not a Pelton or Lowe article giving you a holistic view of the player and evaluating him in some sophisticated catch-all ways; it's just saying he's producing a ton right now, which every single one of us knows and which doesn't tell us the whole story. (There's also the fact that his team is pretty bad and he's not able to up is usage and impose his will on games frequently.)

Also no one's having trouble seeing that he's good now, the trouble is more with projecting him against guys he's not physically dominant over. Key question we're all focused on here is what happens when Simmons has only a small advantage in athleticism/size in the NBA. His rebounding, for example, is the strongest part of his game now but he likely won't be better than a decent rebounder in the NBA. And he's not quick enough to be creating by himself from the wing, and we have no idea how he'll be as a pn'r player without a shot and without a great finishing/in-between game. There's lot of questions, and seeing him as just a stat package can be misleading.

That said, I definitely want him on my team (76ers) and would happily overlook fit problems because of his IQ, agility, and body control.

[NO-KG-AI]

Jeff Duncan sucks.

[scrabbarista]

How's Ben's defense? Is it bad or good?

If bad, does he has great potential on that side of the court? Is it "dont know what im doing" bad or just lack of effort bad?

Havent really watched much of him yet, have no idea about his defense and how is his approach to this part of the game.

I've watched a few of his HS games and about a third of his college games in their entirety.

He isn't a stopper, but he has a good understanding of positioning for a 19 year old. He has tremendous hands (for steals and blocks) and is very quick to respond to offensive players.

In the NBA he will definitely be an above-average defender (not on Day 1, but in time, with coaching). I would not expect him to make an All-Defense Team, but he might get there once or twice if he wants it.

It's clear when watching him that he takes offense at least a little more seriously than defense, but this is true of 80-90% of basketball players. He is not disinterested in defense, not by a long stretch.

The bottom line, IMHO, is that he will turn a franchise around, and the better the players around him, the better he'll be.

[King Ken]

Simmons has no one to blame but himself if he is unhappy with his situation. He could have gone anywhere and chose a bottom feeder. If he is surprised they aren't Kentucky, then he really should have done more research.

I personally doubt he is unhappy though. He's a pretty confident kid and he would believe they are still a pretty good chance to make it. Actually, I doubt he'd even change schools if he were given the opportunity to do it over. He's a bit stubborn.

Ben had a big hand in recruiting there. He had some pretty good relationships with his teammates before they joined LSU. It's part of the reason I think Ben defers sometimes. He and Blakeney are great friends. It must suck to see a guy who you are really close with (who you basically recruited yourself) struggle.

I don't think Ben's teammates are as bad as some have made out. I think they have a talented roster that lacks in some areas obviously. Could use a few more vets and maybe another enforcer type. Craig Victor has been great for them since he became eligible. He has a huge impact. Rebounds a bit and gives them good post scoring. He'll be an NBA player eventually. Hornsby has been good too since he came back. When those two have been able to stay in the game, the tigers have gone well.

Let's not forget, not all teams build chemistry at the same rate. Takes some teams years. Obviously LSU doesn't have that long though. Quarterman has also struggled in what is essentially a new role for him. Tim was their do it all guy last year. He's largely been supplanted by Ben in that role. He too is starting to work into some form. Brandon Sampson, who I think will be great has also been out injured. Hopefully Blakeney can also become that knock down shooter they need.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

They lost two players to the NBA last year, they are too young and too many players don't fit their roles.

[nurseryc]

Against Alabama Ben Simmons answered his critics and showed that he actually has a decent jumper and has trust in his outside game!!! On consecutive possessions against Alabama, Simmons took a pass, stepped into the lane from the elbow area and cranked in a jumper and then drove and drew a foul. At the start of the season he would never have done that. It's amazing to see that he is starting to really trust his jumper which was the only glaring weakness in his game. Ben Simmons with a jumper is pretty much the complete basketball player and really blows away Ingram having any shot at the number 1 pick.

Huge game again for Simmons today. 23 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists in the win for LSU. He looked unstoppable and took over in clutch situations.

[anubis0713]

It was interesting to hear that no player in SEC history has been top 5 in points, rebounds and assists in a year. Ben is also top 5 in steals as well.

[nurseryc]

Monster of a game for Simmons against Georgia - 22 points, 14 boards and 2 steals with the win.

[ATTL]

Kind of a below average game for him with zero assists. Monster by everyone else's standards though.

[nurseryc]

Kind of a below average game for him with zero assists. Monster by everyone else's standards though.

Agree about the assists. Simmons is finally starting to realise that he needs to start being more selfish for his team to get better and to look for his own shot more. It's working.

[splendidham]

Only got two shots in the second half though, is that right?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[oddwolfhooligan]

Against Alabama Ben Simmons answered his critics and showed that he actually has a decent jumper and has trust in his outside game!!! On consecutive possessions against Alabama, Simmons took a pass, stepped into the lane from the elbow area and cranked in a jumper and then drove and drew a foul. At the start of the season he would never have done that. It's amazing to see that he is starting to really trust his jumper which was the only glaring weakness in his game. Ben Simmons with a jumper is pretty much the complete basketball player and really blows away Ingram having any shot at the number 1 pick.

Huge game again for Simmons today. 23 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists in the win for LSU. He looked unstoppable and took over in clutch situations.

Don't you think you're kind of getting ahead of yourself with this post? At least wait to see if he starts to do it even semi-regularly.

[tsmith]

Only got two shots in the second half though, is that right?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

took about a dozen free throws though

[Dcebucks11]

all simmons gotta do is get to the rack, all day

[anubis0713]

all simmons gotta do is get to the rack, all day

He left 10 points at the line, needs to finish that off. In saying that 22/14 is the norm now and just an average day

[nurseryc]

Against Alabama Ben Simmons answered his critics and showed that he actually has a decent jumper and has trust in his outside game!!! On consecutive possessions against Alabama, Simmons took a pass, stepped into the lane from the elbow area and cranked in a jumper and then drove and drew a foul. At the start of the season he would never have done that. It's amazing to see that he is starting to really trust his jumper which was the only glaring weakness in his game. Ben Simmons with a jumper is pretty much the complete basketball player and really blows away Ingram having any shot at the number 1 pick.

Huge game again for Simmons today. 23 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists in the win for LSU. He looked unstoppable and took over in clutch situations.

Don't you think you're kind of getting ahead of yourself with this post? At least wait to see if he starts to do it even semi-regularly.

He did it again in his last game against Georgia connecting on a jumper. He is starting to get confidence game by game in his jump shot and is no longer refusing to take them. After the game against Georgia when Simmons was asked by a reporter why he doesn't take more 3's, Simmons responded by saying that so far he didn't feel the need to as he didn't think anyone was able to guard him and he was virtually unstoppable when taking the ball to the rim. Pretty hard to argue with that.

[sikma42]

Against Alabama Ben Simmons answered his critics and showed that he actually has a decent jumper and has trust in his outside game!!! On consecutive possessions against Alabama, Simmons took a pass, stepped into the lane from the elbow area and cranked in a jumper and then drove and drew a foul. At the start of the season he would never have done that. It's amazing to see that he is starting to really trust his jumper which was the only glaring weakness in his game. Ben Simmons with a jumper is pretty much the complete basketball player and really blows away Ingram having any shot at the number 1 pick.

Huge game again for Simmons today. 23 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists in the win for LSU. He looked unstoppable and took over in clutch situations.

Don't you think you're kind of getting ahead of yourself with this post? At least wait to see if he starts to do it even semi-regularly.

He did it again in his last game against Georgia connecting on a jumper. He is starting to get confidence game by game in his jump shot and is no longer refusing to take them. After the game against Georgia when Simmons was asked by a reporter why he doesn't take more 3's, Simmons responded by saying that so far he didn't feel the need to as he didn't think anyone was able to guard him and he was virtually unstoppable when taking the ball to the rim. Pretty hard to argue with that.

So if we are going to take that logic then he shouldn't be shooting this year...lets just remember that if he does.

Pretty sure he doesn't take them because he isn't confident and if he feels more confident he will take them





Sent from my iPhone using RealGM Forums

[snoopdogg88]

i admire Simmons for being bold and going somewhere different like LSU.

it's gets boring watching every great prospect go to Kentucky/Duke.

[Brapman]

Uhm, is the argument above that Simmons has proven he can shoot well because he took one shot the other night and made it?

[oddwolfhooligan]

Against Alabama Ben Simmons answered his critics and showed that he actually has a decent jumper and has trust in his outside game!!! On consecutive possessions against Alabama, Simmons took a pass, stepped into the lane from the elbow area and cranked in a jumper and then drove and drew a foul. At the start of the season he would never have done that. It's amazing to see that he is starting to really trust his jumper which was the only glaring weakness in his game. Ben Simmons with a jumper is pretty much the complete basketball player and really blows away Ingram having any shot at the number 1 pick.

Huge game again for Simmons today. 23 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists in the win for LSU. He looked unstoppable and took over in clutch situations.

Don't you think you're kind of getting ahead of yourself with this post? At least wait to see if he starts to do it even semi-regularly.

He did it again in his last game against Georgia connecting on a jumper. He is starting to get confidence game by game in his jump shot and is no longer refusing to take them. After the game against Georgia when Simmons was asked by a reporter why he doesn't take more 3's, Simmons responded by saying that so far he didn't feel the need to as he didn't think anyone was able to guard him and he was virtually unstoppable when taking the ball to the rim. Pretty hard to argue with that.

You didn't answer my question. Do you not think you're getting ahead of yourself by claiming that Simmons' jump shot is no longer an issue because of three made jumpers?

And FYI I'm not saying he can't or won't improve his shot. You just need to put this in perspective. Even poor shooters have games where they'll make a couple shots. I want to see Simmons develop a reliable jumper too but the jury is still out.

[ItsThatEasy]

Uhm, is the argument above that Simmons has proven he can shoot well because he took one shot the other night and made it?

Absolutely no one said that.