Ben Simmons

[ItsThatEasy]

Doesn't seem like he has the length, short area vertical to be a dominant low post player in the NBA. Other then that...it seems like he can pretty much do it all. Awesome handle and passer for his size.

Just out of curiousity why are so many trying to find the Post Player in Ben?
Because of his Height? or not yet good enough but improving jumper?

In almost every aspect he is Lebron light.

Elite Athlete for his height in terms of speed,jumping,coordination
Very good Ball Handling for his size
Generational BBIQ,Vision and Passing for his size
NBA ready body,extremly strong for his age
NBA Range and not broken jumper but still needs to improve alot in terms of shooting
Unselfish sometimes to a fault. He tries to make the right play instead of forcing the issue on his own
Shows promise to be a great defender on the ball and as a Team defender,has still alot to learn on defense but is willing.

Now who did i just describe? Lebron fresh out of Highschool or Ben fresh out of Highschool?
Of course Lebron is at least 1 step ahead of Ben in many of those things but Ben still is elite at them. He is just not at that silly Level as Prime Lebron.

Ben even has studied Lebrons moves you can see it when you watch a whole game.
They are almost as simillar as Kobe and MJ.

I stand by my belief that Ben will be to Lebron what Kobe is to MJ.
I think he will end up beeing a 21/8/6(Ben is a better rebounder than Lebron at the same age) for his career and peak at a couple of 26/9/7 years

I'm a huge advocate for Ben Simmons but there are a few things preventing him from being the Kobe to LeBron's Jordan.

He doesn't finish especially strong, he's certainly not as creative and perhaps the most important thing in my opinion is that he's not a natural scorer. LeBron grew up under the Tracy McGrady and Kobe Bryant shadow in the early 2000's which some people seem to forget.

Ben is a product of the culture now a days being much more appreciative of "smart basketball", he's just not inclined to scoring 40 or averaging 30 as opposed to LeBron who came in the league as a scorer first and foremost despite his amazing playmaking skills.

I see Ben's NBA PPG topping out at 22 or 23, which wouldn't prevent him from being one of the top 5 players in the league to be honest.

[crazy_me_87]

Doesn't seem like he has the length, short area vertical to be a dominant low post player in the NBA. Other then that...it seems like he can pretty much do it all. Awesome handle and passer for his size.

Just out of curiousity why are so many trying to find the Post Player in Ben?
Because of his Height? or not yet good enough but improving jumper?

In almost every aspect he is Lebron light.

Elite Athlete for his height in terms of speed,jumping,coordination
Very good Ball Handling for his size
Generational BBIQ,Vision and Passing for his size
NBA ready body,extremly strong for his age
NBA Range and not broken jumper but still needs to improve alot in terms of shooting
Unselfish sometimes to a fault. He tries to make the right play instead of forcing the issue on his own
Shows promise to be a great defender on the ball and as a Team defender,has still alot to learn on defense but is willing.

Now who did i just describe? Lebron fresh out of Highschool or Ben fresh out of Highschool?
Of course Lebron is at least 1 step ahead of Ben in many of those things but Ben still is elite at them. He is just not at that silly Level as Prime Lebron.

Ben even has studied Lebrons moves you can see it when you watch a whole game.
They are almost as simillar as Kobe and MJ.

I stand by my belief that Ben will be to Lebron what Kobe is to MJ.
I think he will end up beeing a 21/8/6(Ben is a better rebounder than Lebron at the same age) for his career and peak at a couple of 26/9/7 years

I'm a huge advocate for Ben Simmons but there are a few things preventing him from being the Kobe to LeBron's Jordan.

He doesn't finish especially strong, he's certainly not as creative and perhaps the most important thing in my opinion is that he's not a natural scorer. LeBron grew up under the Tracy McGrady and Kobe Bryant shadow in the early 2000's which some people seem to forget.

Ben is a product of the culture now a days being much more appreciative of "smart basketball", he's just not inclined to scoring 40 or averaging 30 as opposed to LeBron who came in the league as a scorer first and foremost despite his amazing playmaking skills.

I see Ben's NBA PPG topping out at 22 or 23, which wouldn't prevent him from being one of the top 5 players in the league to be honest.

You have a valid argument there but Ben first and foremost watched Lebron so i could see him showing that scoring punch.

But even if he Dont.. i can see Ben turning out as even more Magic than Lebron. Ben is a simmillary gifted and smart passer to Lebron but propably not the scorer. So 23/8/9 could be a real possibility in his prime if his Coach allows him to be the Point Guard on offense.

[ItsThatEasy]

Just out of curiousity why are so many trying to find the Post Player in Ben?
Because of his Height? or not yet good enough but improving jumper?

In almost every aspect he is Lebron light.

Elite Athlete for his height in terms of speed,jumping,coordination
Very good Ball Handling for his size
Generational BBIQ,Vision and Passing for his size
NBA ready body,extremly strong for his age
NBA Range and not broken jumper but still needs to improve alot in terms of shooting
Unselfish sometimes to a fault. He tries to make the right play instead of forcing the issue on his own
Shows promise to be a great defender on the ball and as a Team defender,has still alot to learn on defense but is willing.

Now who did i just describe? Lebron fresh out of Highschool or Ben fresh out of Highschool?
Of course Lebron is at least 1 step ahead of Ben in many of those things but Ben still is elite at them. He is just not at that silly Level as Prime Lebron.

Ben even has studied Lebrons moves you can see it when you watch a whole game.
They are almost as simillar as Kobe and MJ.

I stand by my belief that Ben will be to Lebron what Kobe is to MJ.
I think he will end up beeing a 21/8/6(Ben is a better rebounder than Lebron at the same age) for his career and peak at a couple of 26/9/7 years

I'm a huge advocate for Ben Simmons but there are a few things preventing him from being the Kobe to LeBron's Jordan.

He doesn't finish especially strong, he's certainly not as creative and perhaps the most important thing in my opinion is that he's not a natural scorer. LeBron grew up under the Tracy McGrady and Kobe Bryant shadow in the early 2000's which some people seem to forget.

Ben is a product of the culture now a days being much more appreciative of "smart basketball", he's just not inclined to scoring 40 or averaging 30 as opposed to LeBron who came in the league as a scorer first and foremost despite his amazing playmaking skills.

I see Ben's NBA PPG topping out at 22 or 23, which wouldn't prevent him from being one of the top 5 players in the league to be honest.

You have a valid argument there but Ben first and foremost watched Lebron so i could see him showing that scoring punch.

But even if he Dont.. i can see Ben turning out as even more Magic than Lebron. Ben is a simmillary gifted and smart passer to Lebron but propably not the scorer. So 23/8/9 could be a real possibility in his prime if his Coach allows him to be the Point Guard on offense.

I like the optimism but in today's NBA it's gonna be hard for a coach to just hand the offense over to one player that's not a PG.

I understand the Blake Griffin comparisons ONLY because of where Blake operates from, which seems the most likely for Simmons.

He's not an inside player but he can run the offense from the high post for sure.

[Dame Lizard]

Ben Simmons with 9 points (4/5 FG), 10 rebounds (5 offensive), 4 assists (1 turnover) and 1 block at half time.

Dude is really stuffing the stat sheet. Isn't really against good competition mind you, but still impressive.

[GimmeDat]

Ben Simmons with 9 points (4/5 FG), 10 rebounds (5 offensive), 4 assists (1 turnover) and 1 block at half time.

Dude is really stuffing the stat sheet. Isn't really against good competition mind you, but still impressive.

I caught some of the game in breaks of the Bulls game today.. he looked great, as expected.

We all know he can do the bits and pieces - passing, transition play, rebounding, etc., but the real test is when he verses the big college teams and he has to take over. They interviewed his dad during the game and he said that he's basically coasting and he has confidence that when it's needed, Ben will flip the switch and take over, but that's the big question mark for me.

He has yet to prove his scoring is polished enough to take over offensively imo, and that's the key factor that will unlock his potential as a star player in the NBA. He has all the supplementary abilities down pat.

[Dcebucks11]

His game is so similar to Giannis

[HeartBreakKid]

His game is so similar to Giannis

I was thinking that as well. In the NBA a lot of the questions about what he'll be able to do will be the same questions that are asked about Giannis.

[MCDubbin]

Not going to lie, I'm not sure if he has a superstar potential. I worry about his fit in the NBA, sort of looks like a tweener.

I don't think he will become a consistent scorer either.

He's not an exceptional athlete. He's not a bad athlete but doesn't seem like a great one either. He looks too upright for me.

I worry about his lateral speed and quickness. His shooting seems questionable as well.

[Illmatic12]

My earlier impressions that I posted way back in the thread:

Someone correct me if I'm wrong - isn't Simmons basically a less athletically-gifted Giannis?

He's Giannis with a lower ceiling, that's what I gather from everything I've seen. Tall forward who can handle and pass like they've spent hours watching Magic Johnson highlights. But not a great outside shooter. Looks like a superstar in transition, but then you come back to earth when you see them in the half court. PF sized, but no post game (Giannis will back down smaller guys on mismatches but that's about it. Likewise, Simmons probably won't be able to post up guys his own size in the NBA).

I'm not 100% sure where his defense is at ? But he's not quite elite in terms of defensive measurables/tools and isn't overly disruptive on that end. That's why I say his ceiling is lower than GA, the Greek Freak has the tools to reach a prime-Kirilenko level impact on defense.

It's cool to see more versatile forwards coming up through the ranks, however despite looking impressive in highlights not all of these guys become 'superstars' at the NBA level. Durant was the very rare exception, he has natural scoring ability that you can't teach.

Lamar Odom is another guy who was similar to Simmons, he was a better prospect though due to his taller/longer frame.

After seeing him in action with LSU, I'm only gonna double down on everything I said there. If Simmons and Giannis were in the same draft, Giannis would be taken earlier. BS is not a fast-twitch athlete and doesn't have a crazy wingspan or anything. Not really skilled in the half court. Doesn't really have a ton of defensive potential.


I'm not tearing this kid down, he's gonna be great after a few years in the right system.. BUT he's not a 'generational prospect' or 'consensus #1' or 'franchise changing potential' , all those buzzwords don't fit Simmons game imo. Ultimately I think Skal Labissiere will be considered the better prospect by the end of the season due to his defensive ceiling.

[Dame Lizard]

Simmons with 22 points (11/17), 9 rebounds, 6 assists (0 TOs), 4 steals, 2 blocks tonight. He's going to be a very, very good player if he can develop his scoring in a way which will translate to the NBA.

In regards to Simmons vs Giannis, don't forget that Simmons is a much better playmaker/passer. Giannis' career averages of 2.3 assists and 1.9 turnovers in 28.5 mpg aren't anything impressive in that department.

I agree that Simmons will have to develop a post-game to maximise his impact, otherwise his scoring will limit his ceiling as a player. He's looking great though.

[No-Man]

I agree in that he is nowhere close a generational talent, but Skal has major flaws, his passing or lack there of is concerning

[GimmeDat]

Simmon's is a class above, at least against most college teams.

He had another whole bunch of highlight plays today, and I think he really showed his athleticism, but again, most of his points came from dunks. That's not to say he doesn't have more in his skill-set, because he never settles and only takes good shots, but he's yet to show it.

When I watched him here in Australia against our professional team in Melbourne, he was taking more jumpers because it wasn't as easy for him to penetrate or score in transition. He hit 2 three's and a pull up 2 from memory, and his form looks pretty good.

[splendidham]

Something that gets said a lot is Ben is not a good/or lazy defender. But the amount of steals he gets at 6'10 is crazy. He's got great anticipation and pretty quick hands. Also like how when he blocks a shot, he always tries to keep it in play rather than the because highlight volleyball spike


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Duke4life831]

Simmon's is a class above, at least against most college teams.

He had another whole bunch of highlight plays today, and I think he really showed his athleticism, but again, most of his points came from dunks. That's not to say he doesn't have more in his skill-set, because he never settles and only takes good shots, but he's yet to show it.

When I watched him here in Australia against our professional team in Melbourne, he was taking more jumpers because it wasn't as easy for him to penetrate or score in transition. He hit 2 three's and a pull up 2 from memory, and his form looks pretty good.

We have to take everything we have seen so far with a grain of salt with these freshmen. Majority of them have been playing against teams that make the tournament as a 15-16 seed or dont make the tournament at all. So the talent level has been pretty poor and we should expect a lot from these guys. I mean Skal killed it his second game, but the starting 5 on the other team was 6'6. Tomorrow will be the first time we get to see some of these top guys play legit competition. Skal is going to go up against a real size front court in Duke, Ingram will get to go up against all the athletes UK has, Murray is going to have his hands full with Matt Jones. Grayson Allen is going to have his hands full with Ulis and Briscoe.

Simmons has looked good and Im not saying he wont look good against better competition, I think he will be the #1 pick. He just hasnt played anyone yet

[Jables]

I've been keeping an eye on him for a while now, the only concern I have at all with Simmons is whether he wants to be a number one scorer, he isn't kidding when he says he prefers a good pass.

[crazy_me_87]

I think its clear through 2 Games his all around Game is just as amazing as expected. But not unlike with Lebron before he entered the NBA it remains to be seen if he goes the Magic route of a Big Guy who is essentially a PG or the MJ,T-Mac etc route.

But i think we have to keep in mind how special he is. No,propably not "Lebron Special" thats true but special enough.

Lets say he averages 18/10/5 for the year. What do you people think how many Freshmen have done this ever? according to sports-reference.. just 1. Ben. Now lets drop this number to 15/8/4,lets guess again. only Ben.

He seems to have even more of that Lebron Mindset of "Making the right play instead of scoring myself", maybe even to a fault. You can just see he could easily average 30 in college on sheer physical dominance. He is just in another galaxy then 90% of college wings. But he wont because he seems to rather be the guy who does 15/12/12 then 30/6/4

But i think even if he "only" scores 16-19ppg in college wont doom him to be not a scorer in the NBA. Lebron had to learn to be a Scorer once he got total reigns of a NBA Team. So did Wiggins. Not everybody is a natural born scorer,but gifted players can grow into solid Scorers.

[EddieJonesFan]

Glancing over some of the posts in this thread, I think it's really unfair how some people seem to be saying that he's not any good just because he fails to live up to LeBron in some way. He's probably going to be at least a top 3 pick in what most people project to be a poor draft class, I don't think the standard for him should be that high, to say the least. If he can be a Grant Hill level player (not that that's anything to sneeze at,) I'd say that should be him living up to his particular level of hype, and then some.

[reanimator]

That LSU schedule is shameful.

[EricAnderson]

The Simmons bashing on twitter by certain high school scouts on certain websites is odd..it's one thing to not like a player or think he's as good as advertised but it almost seems personal with a lot of these guys..

It seems like politics are more and more involved then ever in player rankings.. It seems like certain sites are mad that Simmons has give espn acess to him and have a vendetta because of it.. The Adults covering teenagers acting like teenagers..

[Mike X]

Referring to brian snow in particular. The tweets directed at simmons and goodman were bizarre and immature.

I notice someone did bring up bargnani = sabonis at him. Which I take was shot at an old prediction of his.