76ers HC Sees Ben Simmons as a Legit PG

[Unbreakable99]

He's too weak minded to be a PG. He basically quit on the team when LSU said he needed to get his grades up. Rather than do whatever it takes, he folded like a fat chick on the 4th day of a diet.

Lol. Ridiculous statement. And you do realize there is no school in the NBA right?

[ItsThatEasy]

He's too weak minded to be a PG. He basically quit on the team when LSU said he needed to get his grades up. Rather than do whatever it takes, he folded like a fat chick on the 4th day of a diet.

Ummmmmm ok?

[rallydurham]

See the advantage of having a guy like simmons is that you can find a pg who is a good shooter/defender and doesn't have to be an elite ballhandler and penetrator. Someone like Patrick beverley. This saves you a lot of $ at the pg spot.

Although I think having a 2nd penetrator (lebron/kyrie) is still optimal for building a dangerous team. I really hope dennis smith jr ends up in Philly

[KidPistol]

Simmons already sees the floor better than most PGs in the NBA. His IQ is definitely high enough to run the point. Dude reminds me of Magic.

[Litany]

I was at the summer league game watching Simmons and I know this is an obvious statement given he was the #1 pick but the kid is legit.

He was so clearly the most talented guy out there and his body is ridiculous for a 19 year old. Pretty convinced he's an alien.

He was so smooth and his court vision is unreal. He's going to be special. Can't wait to see him grow. Good time to get the #1 sixers. It'll pay off.

[GYK]

Well no. But he has PG attributes. With the emergence of scoring point guards and pace/space there's a lot you can do with someone like Simmons. The more scorers around someone like that the better but if you think it's ever going to be multidimensional offense with him at the head that's a lot of hoping. It's all going to be north south with him as it was with Young Lebron, Harden, Wade etc.

[GYK]

They really need to find his two other co-stars(legit scoring threats) if they want to keep him.

[blvck]

seen him make a few lebron like passes impressive ****

[sixerswillrule]

Considering he is tremendous at rebounding, why would he be a point guard? He is a point forward.

At the very least he'll be the 3rd biggest player on the team defending the 3rd biggest player on the other team (if not 2nd biggest vs 2nd biggest). He'll still rebound.

[sixerswillrule]

He's certainly a special talent at passing, but he doesn't have the handle or shooting ability to be a legitimate point guard.

He is not guarding any point guards either, which essentially means hes not a point guard.


To be fair, Magic Johnson should have been considered a point forward probably also, it's kind of arbitrary.

I wanted to hesitate on the Magic comp but it's really the most viable option here.

We're talking bringing the ball up court after a made basket by the other team, Simmons, LeBron and Magic are the only ones that immediately come to mind.

Even the prototypical "point forwards" operate from a specific area on the court or rebound and lead the break like Draymond and Blake Griffin.

If he's guarding 4's and 5's then I don't see the downside, it's not like PG's are going to be guarding him in return.

Grant Hill? There are centers who average as much assists as Lindsey Hunter did.

I like Simmons defending 4s while having a skilled SF alongside him because it forces a mismatch on offense.

[Fitz303]

Who cares if he's called a point guard or a point forward? People get too caught up in position designations. I'm assuming Brown doesn't want him having to guard someone like Kyrie Irving in a 7 game series, so i'm assuming he's going to want another smaller/quicker guy on the court as well. Just go 4 wide, with Embiid or Okafor down low. Get 3 shooters around him, who can defend multiple positions, and let him be the primary ball handler.

[GimmeDat]

It's getting caught up in semantics I think - a point forward is essentially a PG on offense. It's obvious that Simmons will be defending bigs rather than PG's, so I would classify him as a point forward.

I think Brett Brown's just accentuating the fact that he is a bonafide PG offensively, not a part time ball handler/distributor.

[sixerswillrule]

I'm tired of hearing this. Do it. Stop talking about it and do it. I have never understood why more teams after Magic Johnson don't try this. It creates mismatches all over the floor and makes a team insanely difficult to defend.

The Bucks better do it with the greek but with them picking up delly they are going to chicken out.

I would kill to have a 6'8-7'0 pg.

Do you expect the Bucks to start no one under 6'6" and have Giannis chase after PGs on defense for 36 minutes?

[Saints14]

If he's guarding SF/PF, wouldn't that make him a SF/PF?

[hyper316]

Simmons impressed me a lot in that first game against boston, the court vision was amazing. Lebron like

[Snotbubbles]

He's certainly a special talent at passing, but he doesn't have the handle or shooting ability to be a legitimate point guard.

He is not guarding any point guards either, which essentially means hes not a point guard.


To be fair, Magic Johnson should have been considered a point forward probably also, it's kind of arbitrary.

On the other end, what PGs would be able to guard Simmons? Steph Curry would be in foul trouble 2 minutes into the game trying to guard Simmons backing him down.

[sixerswillrule]

He's certainly a special talent at passing, but he doesn't have the handle or shooting ability to be a legitimate point guard.

He is not guarding any point guards either, which essentially means hes not a point guard.


To be fair, Magic Johnson should have been considered a point forward probably also, it's kind of arbitrary.

On the other end, what PGs would be able to guard Simmons? Steph Curry would be in foul trouble 2 minutes into the game trying to guard Simmons backing him down.

And Curry isn't guarding Luwawu or Stauskas because?

[Snotbubbles]

He's certainly a special talent at passing, but he doesn't have the handle or shooting ability to be a legitimate point guard.

He is not guarding any point guards either, which essentially means hes not a point guard.


To be fair, Magic Johnson should have been considered a point forward probably also, it's kind of arbitrary.

On the other end, what PGs would be able to guard Simmons? Steph Curry would be in foul trouble 2 minutes into the game trying to guard Simmons backing him down.

And Curry isn't guarding Luwawu or Stauskas because?

LOL. Did you even watch the NBA finals? Pick switch to get the matchup you want. But in any event, I'll play your game. Who on GS would you have guarding Simmons?

[sixerswillrule]

On the other end, what PGs would be able to guard Simmons? Steph Curry would be in foul trouble 2 minutes into the game trying to guard Simmons backing him down.

And Curry isn't guarding Luwawu or Stauskas because?

LOL. Did you even watch the NBA finals? Pick switch to get the matchup you want. But in any event, I'll play your game. Who on GS would you have guarding Simmons?

You can still pick switch with Simmons when he has a 6'2" teammate. At least in this scenario the 6'2" teammate can guard the other team's PG so we don't have to put Simmons in that awkard situation.

And either Green or Durant, obviously.

[bakesale]

I haven't caught any Summer League games yet, but as a point guard, him or Giannis??

After watching him in his first game. Obviously only 1 game against weak competition I think Simmons looks like he's really in his element playing pg.
It seems like he knows how to run a play, he has a very high IQ and great feel for how a play is going to unfold and make the right play accordingly. Great instincts as a pg. Coupled with elite vision (he showed some beautiful passes) I think he is a better pg than Giannis.