Ben Simmons Has 41.5-Inch Vertical During LSU's Combine

[RealGM Wiretap]

Ben Simmons tested with a 41.5 inch vertical during LSU's combine.

Simmons also was measured at 6'10 in shoes and a 7'0 1/4 wingspan, which is longer than previously reported.

Simmons has also added 11 pounds since late June.

Via Jonathan Givony/Draft Express

[tsherkin]

Not that exciting. Uninspiring reach. Average size.

6'9 without shoes, right? Average wingspan is 7'1.5 and average reach is 9'0.4".

His were 7'0.25" wingspan and 9'0.5" reach. Below-average wingspan, average reach.

I guess folk are projecting him #2 at the moment because despite not being able to shoot, he's got handles and passing skills to go with those hops and quicks. Also, I guess if he's projecting more as a SF, the shot becomes more of an issue but the length becomes less of one. Should be interesting to see.

[Phreak50]

This guy has Magic Johnson or Lebron potential. Teams will be tanking like they've never tanked before.

Look for the 76ers to trade some players or send them to the injured list often.

[tsherkin]

This guy has Magic Johnson or Lebron potential. Teams will be tanking like they've never tanked before.

Look for the 76ers to trade some players or send them to the injured list often.

That first part is perhaps a little but aggressive. He has nothing like Lebron's power and if anything, as a playmaker his focus has been PnR action, so comparing to Magic is reasonably off and mostly height-based.

The second part, though; Philly has to know this isn't their year, so they probably won't be rushing back into the 30+-win category, that's for sure.

[WarriorsEFC]

Not that exciting. Uninspiring reach. Average size.

6'9 without shoes, right? Average wingspan is 7'1.5 and average reach is 9'0.4".

His were 7'0.25" wingspan and 9'0.5" reach. Below-average wingspan, average reach.

I guess folk are projecting him #2 at the moment because despite not being able to shoot, he's got handles and passing skills to go with those hops and quicks. Also, I guess if he's projecting more as a SF, the shot becomes more of an issue but the length becomes less of one. Should be interesting to see.

Wow.. you can't have seen him play much. Simmons is going to be a star (and he is projected #1 not #2). As someone else said... he has a Magic Johnson type passing game... and he is already a better shooter than Lebron was in high school. He doesn't have the power of athleticism of Lebron but being a poor man's Lebron is still better than most NBA players are able to be.

[tsherkin]

Wow.. you can't have seen him play much. Simmons is going to be a star (and he is projected #1 not #2). As someone else said... he has a Magic Johnson type passing game... and he is already a better shooter than Lebron was in high school. He doesn't have the power of athleticism of Lebron but being a poor man's Lebron is still better than most NBA players are able to be.

The WT is about his physical measurements, not his projection. His physical measurements aren't that stunning, that's all. They're not really deserving of their own headline. If he's going to be good, it'll be on the basis of being a mobile 6'10 dude with PnR skills, not on the basis of a vertical leap that he'll probably use 85% of on even the most spectacular of plays.

As to the Magic thing... I really don't see it. He'll probably be good and everything, but this is way early excitement.

I couldn'y possibly care any less about high school performance, because it's predictive of almost nothing. A bazillion names of staggering HS talents come to mind, and none of them were anybody in the NBA, you know what I mean? Really successful "next Magic" types from High School usually end up as 5-7 apg players if they realize their potential. That's great, but let's settle down with specific comparisons to maybe the greatest playmaker in the history of the game.... particularly when they don't actually play very similar brands of basketball at all, apart from being tall and handling the basketball.

His shooting ability is a problem, his handle isn't stunning for creating looks off of the dribble and he's a totally unintuitive guy as far as prepping for his shot. Footwork isn't there, shooting mechanics aren't great, etc, etc. Not the guy you're looking for to be a really impressive scorer, and dude's sag off of him/go under the screen a lot. That will keep happening until and unless he stops sucking from outside. He's fast end to end, which is nice, and of course he can jump all over, but that's not enough. He's got a confident handle for himself in transition, and he's a lefty which always helps. Nice defensive potential because of his quickness and effort. Could be a little more energetic on the glass.

As far as the passing...

He shoots it out to enable transition play pretty well. Nothing special there, but it's a good instinct, eyes-up and all that. He does pass well when he's leading the break. Simple stuff against advantageous defensive match-ups, but he doesn't force things himself, which is good. REally though, what we're talking about is a guy who hits the open man. That's not Magic; that's the fundamentals of most competent passers. Magic was doing things that I've never seen Simmons do, even in HS. We'll see what happens at LSU, but I haven't seen anything like transcendent playmaking from him, just intelligent basic passing. He usually has an idea of what he can do before he even touches the ball because he's very aware, and that's really nice (and pretty rare) for a guy his size, I'll give him that. He'll probably be a really interesting point forward, but people really need to ease up on some of the wilder and crazier comparisons. He doesn't really look anything like Magic at all.

The other deal is that his halfcourt action is much more about PnR and Pen-Pitch than Magic's ever was, which is a fairly wild point of stylistic separation, further rendering that comparison unsuitable. I mean, all of these are nice things, and it really does look like he has sound instincts as a playmaker, but man do people ever go "Hey, he's tall and passes! Magic!"

It's like "6'6 athletic guard? Next Jordan!"

It gets a wee bit frustrating for someone who actually watched Magic and sees this kid. Let him stand on his own talent, don't make ridiculous comparisons. He plays more like a classic 6'2 PG than he does like Magic Johnson.. and that's fine, because he has the tools to do it and a nice height advantage that lets him see over the defense. He has nice potential as a combo forward if he can ever firm up his shot and get more aggressive on the boards.

[fourtyounce48]

Wow.. you can't have seen him play much. Simmons is going to be a star (and he is projected #1 not #2). As someone else said... he has a Magic Johnson type passing game... and he is already a better shooter than Lebron was in high school. He doesn't have the power of athleticism of Lebron but being a poor man's Lebron is still better than most NBA players are able to be.

The WT is about his physical measurements, not his projection. His physical measurements aren't that stunning, that's all. They're not really deserving of their own headline. If he's going to be good, it'll be on the basis of being a mobile 6'10 dude with PnR skills, not on the basis of a vertical leap that he'll probably use 85% of on even the most spectacular of plays.

As to the Magic thing... I really don't see it. He'll probably be good and everything, but this is way early excitement.

I couldn'y possibly care any less about high school performance, because it's predictive of almost nothing. A bazillion names of staggering HS talents come to mind, and none of them were anybody in the NBA, you know what I mean? Really successful "next Magic" types from High School usually end up as 5-7 apg players if they realize their potential. That's great, but let's settle down with specific comparisons to maybe the greatest playmaker in the history of the game.... particularly when they don't actually play very similar brands of basketball at all, apart from being tall and handling the basketball.

His shooting ability is a problem, his handle isn't stunning for creating looks off of the dribble and he's a totally unintuitive guy as far as prepping for his shot. Footwork isn't there, shooting mechanics aren't great, etc, etc. Not the guy you're looking for to be a really impressive scorer, and dude's sag off of him/go under the screen a lot. That will keep happening until and unless he stops sucking from outside. He's fast end to end, which is nice, and of course he can jump all over, but that's not enough. He's got a confident handle for himself in transition, and he's a lefty which always helps. Nice defensive potential because of his quickness and effort. Could be a little more energetic on the glass.

As far as the passing...

He shoots it out to enable transition play pretty well. Nothing special there, but it's a good instinct, eyes-up and all that. He does pass well when he's leading the break. Simple stuff against advantageous defensive match-ups, but he doesn't force things himself, which is good. REally though, what we're talking about is a guy who hits the open man. That's not Magic; that's the fundamentals of most competent passers. Magic was doing things that I've never seen Simmons do, even in HS. We'll see what happens at LSU, but I haven't seen anything like transcendent playmaking from him, just intelligent basic passing. He usually has an idea of what he can do before he even touches the ball because he's very aware, and that's really nice (and pretty rare) for a guy his size, I'll give him that. He'll probably be a really interesting point forward, but people really need to ease up on some of the wilder and crazier comparisons. He doesn't really look anything like Magic at all.

The other deal is that his halfcourt action is much more about PnR and Pen-Pitch than Magic's ever was, which is a fairly wild point of stylistic separation, further rendering that comparison unsuitable. I mean, all of these are nice things, and it really does look like he has sound instincts as a playmaker, but man do people ever go "Hey, he's tall and passes! Magic!"

It's like "6'6 athletic guard? Next Jordan!"

It gets a wee bit frustrating for someone who actually watched Magic and sees this kid. Let him stand on his own talent, don't make ridiculous comparisons. He plays more like a classic 6'2 PG than he does like Magic Johnson.. and that's fine, because he has the tools to do it and a nice height advantage that lets him see over the defense. He has nice potential as a combo forward if he can ever firm up his shot and get more aggressive on the boards.

great assessment. his feel for the game in a nuance way is concerning to me. doesn't have that innate or intuitive nature of making plays that the greats just have and one can't really develop. his shot and footwork seems very mechanical to me as well. the more i watch him the more i see a marion in him. to be optimistic, with a lot or work he may develop a lamar odom/scottie pippin game.

[tsherkin]

great assessment. his feel for the game in a nuance way is concerning to me. doesn't have that innate or intuitive nature of making plays that the greats just have and one can't really develop. his shot and footwork seems very mechanical to me as well. the more i watch him the more i see a marion in him. to be optimistic, with a lot or work he may develop a lamar odom/scottie pippin game.

Honestly, I think his feel for the game is great. He is a step ahead of the D with the way he sees the court and always has a pass in mind as a primary option or as a counter. That's what I got from him. His peripheral vision and the way he keeps his head up and moving is really an excellent asset.

I don't see Marion in him at all. He's a dramatically superior ball-handler, 3" taller, he's actually a quality dribble-penetrator and he's a much more dynamic playmaker. He's also considerably weaker on the glass. They are basically nothing alike.

Odom/Pippen isn't bad as a notion. I don't think he'll have Lamar's post game or the 3pt shooting he eventually developed, but as an offensive model, a taller Pippen isn't the worst thing.

Realistically, my biggest concern with him as far as will be good or REALLY good centers around his shooting ability. He's got the tools elsewhere to be a fantastic player, but lacking a power body, he's really going to need that jumper to come around. Of course, he has how many freshman NCAA games under his belt? So he's got time, and we'll see.

There are definitely things to like, I just don't think this WT is any kind of real indication of them, or that he looks ANYTHING like Magic in style.

[crazy_me_87]

IF this measurements are accurate he is an even better athlete than even i a total Ben Simmons fan thought o.O

Wingspan and reach seem to no longer be a huge problem.. now he only needs to get better at shooting.. wich is usually the one thing 18yo Kids if their shot is technically fine(wich Ben's is) can at least get solid at.