Ben Simmons: The Sixers’ New Point Guard

By nearly all accounts, the Philadelphia 76ers’ draft night haul was a smashing success. The Sixers’ new front office led by Bryan Colangelo cashed in on the treasure trove of assets acquired by Sam Hinkie to land the draft’s best player in LSU’s Ben Simmons along with two highly thought of European wings in 21-year old Timothe Luwawu and 18-year old Furkan Korkmaz. Philadelphia’s rebuilding project took a massive leap forward last Thursday night, but there are still some who believe the process isn’t over.

Head coach Brett Brown specifically isolated the point guard spot as a position of need for the Sixers going forward while some in the media criticized the team for not following through on a draft day deal to land Providence’s Kris Dunn, a dynamic, but ball-dominant creator to fill the hole. The truth is, though, the Sixers drafted their point guard of the future already in Simmons.

The 20-year old rookie may not be the prototypical fit at the position, but at least offensively, he is well-suited to become Philadelphia’s focal point because of his excellent court vision both in the halfcourt and in transition:

Colangelo made it clear that whatever Simmons’ position is ultimately listed as in the media guide, “he’s going to have the ball in his hands a lot.” The confidence in Simmons’ ability to run the team’s offense is well placed and presumably one of the main reasons why Philadelphia ultimately selected him over Duke’s Brandon Ingram. At 6-10, the former Tiger’s passing proficiency while measuring at the size of a traditional power forward quite literally stands out among the 2016 draft class:

No other prospect has the unique combination of size and skill that Simmons possesses. As a freshman at LSU, he averaged 5.5 assists per 40 minutes, a number that likely would have been higher had he been part of a roster better tailored to play alongside him. The Tigers simply missed a lot of shots that would have bolstered Simmons’ assist total, finishing the year with an effective field goal percentage (eFG%) of 49.9 percent when the number one pick’s shots are excluded from their season-ending totals. That eFG% would have put LSU in a tie for the 166th best mark in college basketball last year alongside traditional powerhouses like Central Arkansas, Incarnate Word, and Monmouth.

More specifically, the Tigers’ ineptitude from behind the three-point arc (32.7 percent) limited Simmons’ ability to be a creator from the low block as opposing teams were consistently comfortable leaving shooters open along the perimeter to shrink the operating space for LSU’s star player. The Sixers weren’t much better than the Tigers from deep last season, making just 33.9 percent of their triples, but the addition of Luwawu and Korkmaz is a starting point for raising that number in time.

Brown’s challenge in the coming seasons will be figuring out how to construct an offense designed to take advantage of Simmons’ unique skill set and Colangelo will be tasked with finding the right pieces to make it work. The two shouldn’t have to look far, though, to find a blueprint. While comparisons to all-time greats do a disservice to incoming rookies, Philadelphia’s coaching staff and front office should look no further than the Cleveland Cavaliers for inspiration. While Simmons is no Lebron James for a number of reasons, there are similarities in how the two can initiate their team’s offense.

Both players can create mismatches at their position, which allows them to back down smaller defenders in the post where they can either score over them or pass to find cutting teammates or shooters along the perimeter. Simmons is also capable of punishing those mismatches on the perimeter where traditional power forwards simply aren’t comfortable defending. His ball-handling isn’t the most advanced. He has a nice in-and-out dribble and is adept at changing speeds, but the best option is still to crowd his space. Most big men, though, aren’t experienced enough to do that, which allows Simmons to get a head of steam before barreling towards the basket to finish at the rim (75.2 percent) or draw a foul (7.3 per 40 minutes) like he did here:

When opponents do crowd his space, Simmons can use a 4-5 pick-and-roll to open up the offense instead, putting his defender in another awkward situation. Even with his notoriously lacking jump shot, the 20-year old is adept at attacking when the defense goes under and switches because he can turn the corner and finish tough shots:

When Simmons isn’t attacking the basket from the perimeter, because he is guarded by a smaller player who can cut off penetration — in this case, Kentucky’s Isaiah Briscoe — he can use his height to find open teammates cutting to the basket when the offense provides the appropriate spacing:

With Simmons in the fold, there’s no reason for Philadelphia’s front office to seek out a ball-dominant point guard to run Brown’s offense. In fact, doing so might hinder the development of their prized prospect going forward because Simmons needs the ball in his hands to be at his best.

Of course, the Sixers will still need a “traditional” point guard to help defend opposing lead guards. The ideal fit is a player who is an obnoxious defender, doesn’t need the ball in his hands to be productive, and can hit catch-and-shoot threes to help space the floor to allow Simmons operating space. There are a couple of decent options available in free agency, including Matthew Dellavedova (a fellow Aussie) and Mario Chalmers (if you’re willing to bet on his recovery). Philadelphia could also re-explore a trade for Houston’s Patrick Beverley who is well-known for his defensive antics and is a career 37.3 percent three-point shooter.

Whatever the answer ultimately is at the position defensively, the Sixers should feel comfortable that they have their point guard of the future on offense in Ben Simmons.