Ben Simmons

[MCDubbin]

I've been seeing him initiate offense from the post(not much vs. Marquette), does he actually have something there in terms of scoring?

He's got a lanky frame so I doubt he will be a back to basket scorer.

Face up, he has potential but he needs to learn how to shoot to be effective.

[GimmeDat]

I think he's always going to be a face-up dominant player, and as of now he doesn't have a post-game. However, I think he has a good strong frame that will only improve and later down the track in his career I could see him developing more of a post-game as a complimentary skill-set.

[EddieJonesFan]

So is him playing out on the perimeter like a PG just out of the question in many people's minds because of his size and lack of shooting ability? I mean, he seems quick enough, and he wouldn't be the first PG who couldn't shoot.

[Illmatic12]

So is him playing out on the perimeter like a PG just out of the question in many people's minds because of his size and lack of shooting ability? I mean, he seems quick enough, and he wouldn't be the first PG who couldn't shoot.

That would be a disaster in the half court. Why wouldn't teams just pack the paint on him? At the NBA level, Simmons will never ever get dribble penetration in a halfcourt set without a jumpshot threat.

We've seen that even Lebron has been frustrated by that type of defense when his jumpshot isn't falling, and he's more explosive/quicker than Simmons is.

Unless he has a mismatch, Ben's not regularly going to break down NBA defenses from the perimeter. He's shifty and has handles for a 6'10 guy, but not enough for a primary ballhandler in the NBA lacking a jumper.


Simmons will have to develop some PF skills to translate to the next level, there's no way around it. He can be a great transition player from day 1, but he has to build his halfcourt game from the ground up.

[NikolaPekovic]

So is him playing out on the perimeter like a PG just out of the question in many people's minds because of his size and lack of shooting ability? I mean, he seems quick enough, and he wouldn't be the first PG who couldn't shoot.

That would be a disaster in the half court. Why wouldn't teams just pack the paint on him? At the NBA level, Simmons will never ever get dribble penetration in a halfcourt set without a jumpshot threat.

We've seen that even Lebron has been frustrated by that type of defense when his jumpshot isn't falling, and he's more explosive/quicker than Simmons is.

Unless he has a mismatch, Ben's not regularly going to break down NBA defenses from the perimeter. He's shifty and has handles for a 6'10 guy, but not enough for a primary ballhandler in the NBA lacking a jumper.


Simmons will have to develop some PF skills to translate to the next level, there's no way around it. He can be a great transition player from day 1, but he has to build his halfcourt game from the ground up.

This is a good example of downplaying top prospects and making holes in their game seem bigger than they are.

He has legit PG skills, better than alot of "point guards" we see come through the draft these days.

[Illmatic12]

So is him playing out on the perimeter like a PG just out of the question in many people's minds because of his size and lack of shooting ability? I mean, he seems quick enough, and he wouldn't be the first PG who couldn't shoot.

That would be a disaster in the half court. Why wouldn't teams just pack the paint on him? At the NBA level, Simmons will never ever get dribble penetration in a halfcourt set without a jumpshot threat.

We've seen that even Lebron has been frustrated by that type of defense when his jumpshot isn't falling, and he's more explosive/quicker than Simmons is.

Unless he has a mismatch, Ben's not regularly going to break down NBA defenses from the perimeter. He's shifty and has handles for a 6'10 guy, but not enough for a primary ballhandler in the NBA lacking a jumper.


Simmons will have to develop some PF skills to translate to the next level, there's no way around it. He can be a great transition player from day 1, but he has to build his halfcourt game from the ground up.

This is a good example of downplaying top prospects and making holes in their game seem bigger than they are.

He has legit PG skills, better than alot of "point guards" we see come through the draft these days.

It's a good example of basic bball 101.. have you ever played or coached organized basketball?

If so, explain why a coach would want to run PnR with a 6'10 player who is left unguarded on the perimeter. There is no strategic advantage to putting Simmons at the top of the key as a set-up man, defenses will just sag off of him and send his defender to help in the passing lanes.. ie turnovers galore.

If you have a player like that, you set him up on the elbow areas of the court so he can face up and attack off the dribble, or use his vision to pass to cutters. You don't want Simmons initiating offensive sets at the top of the key, you want him receiving an entry pass in the high post. Until he develops a perimeter game, there is literally no advantage to playing Simmons at point guard in the halfcourt, unless you're deliberately trying to lose games (so on second thought, maybe the Philly 76ers would look into doing it)

[NikolaPekovic]

That would be a disaster in the half court. Why wouldn't teams just pack the paint on him? At the NBA level, Simmons will never ever get dribble penetration in a halfcourt set without a jumpshot threat.

We've seen that even Lebron has been frustrated by that type of defense when his jumpshot isn't falling, and he's more explosive/quicker than Simmons is.

Unless he has a mismatch, Ben's not regularly going to break down NBA defenses from the perimeter. He's shifty and has handles for a 6'10 guy, but not enough for a primary ballhandler in the NBA lacking a jumper.


Simmons will have to develop some PF skills to translate to the next level, there's no way around it. He can be a great transition player from day 1, but he has to build his halfcourt game from the ground up.

This is a good example of downplaying top prospects and making holes in their game seem bigger than they are.

He has legit PG skills, better than alot of "point guards" we see come through the draft these days.

It's a good example of basic bball 101.. have you ever played or coached organized basketball?

If so, explain why a coach would want to run PnR with a 6'10 player who is left unguarded on the perimeter. There is no strategic advantage to putting Simmons at the top of the key as a set-up man, defenses will just sag off of him and send his defender to help in the passing lanes.. ie turnovers galore.

If you have a player like that, you set him up on the elbow areas of the court so he can face up and attack off the dribble, or use his vision to pass to cutters. You don't want Simmons initiating offensive sets at the top of the key, you want him receiving an entry pass in the high post. Until he develops a perimeter game, there is literally no advantage to playing Simmons at point guard in the halfcourt, unless you're deliberately trying to lose games (so on second thought, maybe the Philly 76ers would look into doing it)

Guys like Rubio, Rondo, or Lebron have seemed to make it work thus far.

It helps nobody to speak in absolutes bud.

[No-Man]

Rubio and Rondo are extremely flawed players and LeBron is one of a kind, plus he can actually shoot, his midrange game is top notch and his perimeter skills are much better than Simmons, but sure, keep it up with those type of examples.

[nurseryc]

The kid still put up 15 points, 19 rebounds and 4 assists today. He even hit a three. He is an amazing prospect who has unlimited potential which is why he is drawing the Lebron comparisons. He hasn't shot well in his last two games yet has still been a beast in most other areas outside of his uncharacteristic high turnovers today. Let's not go overboard. Let's see how he responds in his next game....

I'm putting everything on him shooting at a healthy percentage in his next game and this talk of his shooting struggles will be forgotten about. I have no doubts he will greatly improve as a shooter as time goes on and will eventually be a strength of his game as he matures. There is a reason he is being touted as the consensus number one pic by the scouts.

[Illmatic12]

This is a good example of downplaying top prospects and making holes in their game seem bigger than they are.

He has legit PG skills, better than alot of "point guards" we see come through the draft these days.

It's a good example of basic bball 101.. have you ever played or coached organized basketball?

If so, explain why a coach would want to run PnR with a 6'10 player who is left unguarded on the perimeter. There is no strategic advantage to putting Simmons at the top of the key as a set-up man, defenses will just sag off of him and send his defender to help in the passing lanes.. ie turnovers galore.

If you have a player like that, you set him up on the elbow areas of the court so he can face up and attack off the dribble, or use his vision to pass to cutters. You don't want Simmons initiating offensive sets at the top of the key, you want him receiving an entry pass in the high post. Until he develops a perimeter game, there is literally no advantage to playing Simmons at point guard in the halfcourt, unless you're deliberately trying to lose games (so on second thought, maybe the Philly 76ers would look into doing it)

Guys like Rubio, Rondo, or Lebron have seemed to make it work thus far.

It helps nobody to speak in absolutes bud.

Rubio and Rondo are incredibly skilled and crafty ballhandlers, among the tops in the league. We're not talking about 6'10 players trying to dribble into traffic against a packed paint. Those two players have *elite* ball control and change of direction ability (if they didn't, they wouldn't even be in the NBA, at least not as starters)

Even still, neither Rubio or Rondo have led a team anywhere but the lottery as the best player. Or led a league average offense as the best player. So that's not exactly an indicator of rousing success. Even if we bring up John Wall as another example of poor shooter at point guard, he started off as a transition threat only - it took years before he could even run a competent half court offense. The Wizards didn't go anywhere until Wall's fourth season when he could finally hit the midrange jumper on PnR.


Lebron is in a class of his own, he is capable of putting up 30+ points at will from anywhere in the court, and threatens the defense in an entirely different way.

Speaking in absolutes would be if I said Simmons is incapable of improving, which I didn't. I think that if you look at the precedent for players who struggle to operate from the perimeter, the reality is that Ben won't be a good half court player in the NBA anytime soon, it's going to take quite some time and development (which is fine, he's only 20yo).

[EMG518]

The kid still put up 15 points, 19 rebounds and 4 assists today. He even hit a three. He is an amazing prospect who has unlimited potential which is why he is drawing the Lebron comparisons. He hasn't shot well in his last two games yet has still been a beast in most other areas outside of his uncharacteristic high turnovers today. Let's not go overboard. Let's see how he responds in his next game....

I'm putting everything on him shooting at a healthy percentage in his next game and this talk of his shooting struggles will be forgotten about. I have no doubts he will greatly improve as a shooter as time goes on and will eventually be a strength of his game as he matures. There is a reason he is being touted as the consensus number one pic by the scouts.

The talk of his shooting struggles will never cease until he actually can shoot the ball. He currently cannot. He will be the number 1 pick though regardless and they will have him working on his mid range game endlessly and eventually he will be really really good once he is able to hit that shot with some consistency.

[nurseryc]

The kid still put up 15 points, 18 rebounds and 4 assists today. He even hit a three. He is an amazing prospect who has unlimited potential which is why he is drawing the Lebron comparisons. He hasn't shot well in his last two games yet has still been a beast in most other areas outside of his uncharacteristic high turnovers today. Let's not go overboard. Let's see how he responds in his next game....

I'm putting everything on him shooting at a healthy percentage in his next game and this talk of his shooting struggles will be forgotten about. I have no doubts he will greatly improve as a shooter as time goes on and will eventually be a strength of his game as he matures. There is a reason he is being touted as the consensus number one pic by the scouts.

The talk of his shooting struggles will never cease until he actually can shoot the ball. He currently cannot. He will be the number 1 pick though regardless and they will have him working on his mid range game endlessly and eventually he will be really really good once he is able to hit that shot with some consistency.

[Dr Positivity]

Simmons is looking like an NBA 4. I don't see a weak jumpshot being as big a weakness as it is for a player like Rubio

[Duke4life831]

He's by far the best prospect in this draft. Ingram and Skal being basically complete no shows so far has helped this out as well. He won't be able to score in the half court at the NBA level for a long time. His lack of perimeter scoring is a major weakness when you add in the fact he doesn't have a back to the basket game. Still think a Lamar Odom is his best case scenario.

[Dcebucks11]

Past two games were rough for him. His half court offense needs alot of work. I get some Evan Turner vibes from him sometimes but I think he's gonna be great if he works hard.

[splendidham]

Putting LSU on his back tonight


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[Dr Positivity]

He is easily the #1 pick

[Dame Lizard]

Ben Simmons' stat line from tonight was 43 points on 15/20 FG (including 3/6 jump shots) and 13/15 from FT line, 14 rebounds, 7 assists (2 turnovers), 5 steals, 3 blocks.

As mentioned above, he's so far in front of #2 that it isn't even funny. Ingram and Skal (projected 2 and 3 prior to the season) have been hopeless so far, whilst Simmons has dominated. If the draft went today, I'd be drafting Dragan Bender second. Whoever gets the #2 pick will be feeling like Charlotte in 2012.

[reanimator]

15/20 FG (including 3/6 jump shots

His shot chart shows all in the paint unless I'm missing something?

Did you watch this game against North Florida? I know I wouldn't watch a non tournament team vs a low major.

[bigboi]

LSU has a trash schedule. Also, have no clue why Skal or Ingram are ahead of Jaylen Brown.