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2016 NBA Draft: Pro comparisons for top prospects

By Philip Rossman-Reich

Jan 30, 2016; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; LSU Tigers forward Ben Simmons (25) defends against a shot by Oklahoma Sooners guard Buddy Hield (24) during the first half of a game at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 30, 2016; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; LSU Tigers forward Ben Simmons (25) defends against a shot by Oklahoma Sooners guard Buddy Hield (24) during the first half of a game at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /
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Ben Simmons, PF, LSU

Best Case: A mix between LeBron James & Blake Griffin
Worst Case: Derrick Williams

Ben Simmons has been the guy everyone has talked about all year. He was the consensus top pick at the beginning of the season. That only seemed to change as Brandon Ingram emerged and Simmons’ team floundered.

There was nothing to suggest though that Simmons was not everything he was advertised as in his lone year at LSU. If anything, he was too passive because of his inexperience at LSU. Everyone was waiting for him to take over and he never seemed to do so. Still, he had his gaudy stat lines — 21-20-7 against Marquette, 43-14-7 against North Florida. No player just does that.

Simmons has great size and length and good court awareness too. He does look a bit like LeBron James when he is driving in transition. A player his size is not meant to move so fluidly and quickly down the court.

At 6-foot-10, a team may want him to be in the post a bit more like Blake Griffin. His face-up game looks very similar to the way Griffin attacks in the post. But that is not really his game. He wants to get out in transition and get through the space defenses give him. When he gets going it is tough for anyone to stop him. This is where he is most like James.

Simmons will still have a lot of work to do though. Particularly on his jumper.

The pressure of being “the guy” is something he has to be willing to take on more. That will be a big part of his future development and determining whether he can reach his potential. If he can add that, he has the playmaking and distribution that James does.

James though was much further along in his development when he entered the NBA. Simmons still has a long way to go.

Simmons should always be a versatile player who can score and find ways to contribute. That was also the kind of jack-of-all-trades description Derrick Williams had when he came out of Arizona and was the No. 2 overall pick.

Whether Simmons becomes the great passing and playmaking player of his most optimistic comparisons remains to be seen.

To read more about Ben Simmons, click here.

Next: The scorer

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