CoreyGallagher wrote:MGB8 wrote:Simmons has a size/strength advantage at the 3 while having better than adequate speed and quickness.  
At the 4, he's... Meh.  Is he going to outsize or outquick Ibaka? Draymond Green (meaningfully)? Porzingis? Blake Griffin? Myles Turner? Paul Milsap? Derrick Favors? Manimal Faried? Amir Johnson? 
So he has better than adequate speed and quickness to play the 3, but that doesn't give him an advantage at the 4? Does he have the size, speed, quickness, and skills to outmaneuver most of the players that you listed? Believe there's a very high likelihood that he does.   
 
I don't.  
Good defense doesn't require as much physical talent as great offense.  You can be a bit slower, and still be a great defender if you are efficient with your steps, have a good wingspan, are strong, and have good defensive instincts.   The only place where lack of speed really gets exposed is when you have to chase a guy around the court, especially around screens - but that generally only comes into play when defending shooters like Klay or Curry or Korver.  
So, defensively, I think Simmons is more than fast enough to defend Lebron, Durant, Melo, George, Wiggins (when he plays the 3 rather than 2), or even chase Korver around screens.  He can defend the 3.  
Offensively, Speed helps a lot in transition, but transition play is something like 10-20% of a basketball game.  In the half court, speed is less of an issue as compared to quickness and first step, unless you are a Klay or Korver and running around a bunch of screens and picks.  Simmons has a good but not elite first step.  But without a consistent shot to force defender to guard him at the 3, and with zone allowed in the NBA, I don't see him being able to "outquick" the defense of Ibala, Favors, Faried, Milsap, Anthony Davis, KAT (when at the 4), etc. etc.  I don't know that he'll be able to outquick the slower guys, even, since they can sag.  There's no matchup advantage - he's not so much quicker than the guys who would guard him as a 4 to blow by them, especially since, right now, they wouldn't have to extend the defense to guard him. 
Simmons has to be a 3 to have a real chance at being a "superstar."  His shooting issues would have to be offset by a 4 who can really shoot.  And he'd have to really work on his shot.  
BTW, him being a "tweener" 3/4 means the same thing - he'd need to be next to a guy who can force 4's to defend him (who has enough size) but can also shoot.  Then he gets a matchup advantage because he's just bigger than most of the 3's who would defend him.