My Sophomore Crush: Get ready for Point Ben Simmons
It’s summer — popsicles, beaches, campfires and summer love. As the heat rises, time slows and crushes develop. We’re leaning into that amorous mood this week at The Step Back, sharing our sophomore crushes. Last year may have given us an uninspiring rookie class, but we’re feeling pretty enamored with the future.
Philadelphia 76ers fans have grown all too accustomed in recent years to highly touted prospects missing their entire rookie seasons. When 2016 No. 1 overall pick Ben Simmons broke the fifth metatarsal bone in his right foot during training camp last September, a sense of déjà vu washed over the City of Brotherly Love.
Like Nerlens Noel and Joel Embiid before him, Simmons missed all of his would-be debut campaign, as his foot fracture healed more slowly than anticipated. But with a year’s worth of rehab under his belt, he is now back to playing five-on-five, which suggests he should be all systems go once training camp rolls around.
The Sixers have spent the past 12 months espousing Simmons as their point guard of the future, and one need only look at his footage from LSU or last year’s Summer League to understand why. He has preternatural vision and passing instincts for a 6-foot-10 forward, which makes him uniquely equipped to handle the challenges of being a full-time ball-handler despite being unconventionally large for that position. Los Angeles Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball may have dazzled in this year’s Las Vegas Summer League, but Simmons demonstrated equally impressive flashes last year.
While head coach Brett Brown initially hedged about installing Simmons as the Sixers’ full-time ball-handler, he was singing a different tune come April. During a podcast appearance with Adrian Wojnarowski (then of The Vertical), he said the following about Simmons (via Liberty Ballers’ Xylon Dimoff):
"“When I say ‘point guard,’ I mean ‘point guard.’ You know, who takes the ball out of bounds, who receives the ball when the ball goes in the basket, who brings it up the floor after a free throw. I’m not talking about Draymond [Green], I’m not talking about LeBron [James], you know, I’m talking about a point guard. And so I intend on trying this.”"
In other words: Joel Embiid isn’t the only reason the Sixers are a must-watch League Pass team in 2017-18. If you enjoyed Point Giannis Antetokounmpo last season, just wait until the Sixers unveil full-time Point Ben Simmons.
How Simmons fares in that role remains uncertain. Though few opposing forwards are equipped to successfully defend a full-time ball-handler, they could elect to sag under screens until Simmons proves capable of consistently hitting three-pointers. Knocking down treys in an empty gym is one thing; doing so against the likes of James, Antetokounmpo or Kawhi Leonard is an entirely different animal.
Further complicating matters: The Sixers traded up two spots in the 2017 NBA draft to acquire Markelle Fultz, a fellow floor general. Though Fultz is better suited than Simmons to play off-ball given his long-range shooting prowess, it may take time for the two to settle into a groove alongside one another. Much like the Houston Rockets with Chris Paul and James Harden, the Sixers could soon face the “too many ball-handlers, not enough balls” problem.
During an interview at the Las Vegas Summer League, Simmons made clear that he views himself as the team’s starting point guard. However, he added that he envisioned a symbiotic relationship with Fultz, saying, “I have no problem sharing the ball. He doesn’t, either. Watching him play, he can share the ball.” Fultz likewise expressed confidence in his ability to mesh with Simmons, telling reporters he’d do “whatever we need to do to win. Sometimes I’ll be on the ball, sometimes I’ll be off.”
Next: The sun will still rise on the Eastern Conference and its stars
If Simmons and Fultz learn to co-exist and Embiid remains healthy, few (if any) teams across the NBA can match the Sixers’ long-term upside. That trio of cornerstones could form the franchise’s foundation for the next half-decade, helping guide Philadelphia from the league’s basement to a perennial contender. As such, Simmons’ professional debut should be one of the most hotly awaited NBA storylines heading into the 2017-18 season.
The FEDS are about to be unleashed.
Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NBA.com or Basketball-Reference.com.