25-under-25: Ben Simmons at No. 18

The Step Back is rolling out its 25-under-25 list over the next two days. Follow along with our rankings of the top 25 players under the age of 25.

Recently, a rookie showed out during Summer League. He struggled shooting from the field, but everyone knew his shot would be his biggest weakness. He affected the game in other ways — in transition, in pick-and-roll, in rebounding, in ball movement, in assists, even in slick passes. Some on draft night believed another player would have been a better pick, but perhaps he was the best player in his class.

Depending on how far back your thinking goes, that may have been 2017 Summer League MVP Lonzo Ball. To others that was the 76ers’ Ben Simmons in 2016. Ball and Simmons aren’t totally comparable, but they each received the same praise and criticism during their first NBA action. Their being at or near the top of the list for Rookie of the Year is a testament to their talent and the rebirth of appreciation for the all-around archetypes since LeBron James entered the NBA.

Read More: Get ready for Point Ben Simmons

In today’s league, Simmons’ multidimensional ability has become less about abnormality and more about necessity. A star can’t be a factor on only one side of the floor. To survive in the Age of the Warriors, players have to do multiple things on offense and guard multiple positions on defense as the NBA continues toward a position-less league that relies on pick-and-roll and switching on D.

There’s no 21-year-old player who fits like Simmons. Through the layers of his offensive talent, Simmons’ defensive potential isn’t mentioned. His lapses in college are two years removed and playing for a team with (good) NBA talent is the best remedy for an attitude. Besides, he has Joel Embiid constantly lurking near the rim as protection. Simmons has the length and quickness to check multiple positions, even point guards, though head coach Brett Brown wants to limit that to transition. 

His playmaking and passing abilities make him dangerous in pick-and-roll and in transition. If reports are legitimate, Simmons is 7-feet tall, which means he grew two inches since being drafted, which means he’s the tallest point guard this side of Milwaukee, which means he qualifies for Giannis Antetokounmpo-level freakishness, which means he deserves a Greek Freak nickname. I propose “Australien,” a play off Ben Rohrbach’s Australian Alien. (Think of it as rebranding Kentucky Fried Chicken to KFC.)

But his lack of shooting is his biggest issue, and it’s the facet we’ll break down and mention throughout the season. He has time. Despite already being in the NBA for a full season before playing his first game, Simmons is about seven months older than rookie Josh Jackson and will be 21 throughout the entire 2017-18 season, the same age as Jackson, Donovan Mitchell and Devin Booker. To think that we’re seven years from prime Simmons is like when you turned 16 and couldn’t wait to be 21. Just fast forward.

Sadly, we’re forced to wait that whole time, through our driver’s test, voting and that awkward period from 19-20 that’s spent planning your trip to Vegas. Barring some LeBron miracles, Simmons’ shot will be bad at times and awful at others, with dots of potential on the few nights it’s on. Who knows when he’ll attempt his first 3-pointer — he attempted three during his lone season at LSU. He shot 36 percent from the field in six Summer League games in 2016 on only 61 attempts. Over the same number of games, Ball attempted 89; Caris LeVert attempted 61 over five games; Justin Jackson attempted 95 over six.

In fairness to Simmons, we knew his shot would be a project. The Ringer‘s Kevin O’Connor has gone so far to say Simmons is actually right-handed, which doesn’t bode well for his future shooting production. But we know Antetokounmpo shot 26 percent on 216 jump shots his rookie season, and LeBron only 32 percent on 998 attempts. We know Simmons will be guarded like this at times:

Just don’t count on it going in most times. Simmons’ shot in 2017-18 is more about flashes in other areas and just taking them. Can he make his free throws? He shot 67 percent in college. Will he stay confident and continue shooting after he misses a couple in a row or sees defenders sag off, especially when that amount of space allows him to drive and kick to waiting shooters and cutters? Will his mechanics stay consistent?

Developing a shot is a project and last on the list of things to worry about Simmons. (The continued health of his foot, for example, is more important.) It’s the coup de grace. The fact he’s been working on it means he’s aware and determined. That’s enough for a player of his caliber in his first season. So don’t panic when he tosses up an airball or hits the side of the backboard. Trust the Process.

In lieu, Simmons will make his bones elsewhere. Brown wants the Sixers to run, and last season they ran (h/t Rich Hofmann):

"According to Synergy Sports, the Sixers ranked eighth in their percentage of offense that came in transition but last with only 1.009 points per possession in that situation."

They couldn’t score. They starved for a player to take over in transition and initiate offense. They didn’t have a player who could do this:

In this play, Simmons is helping the Sixers in three areas. His rebounding will help a team who finished 28th in defensive rebounding rate; his ability to push the ball creates a five-on-four; his vision and passing allows Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot to run in a straight line toward the basket. Now picture this sequence, but with J.J. Redick trailing for a 3, Robert Covington dashing to the corner, Embiid running to clean up a miss and Markelle Fultz catching the pass.

Transition won’t be the only improvement with Simmons running point. With good shooting all around — Fultz, Covington, Embiid and Redick, if that’s the remaining starting five — Simmons’ halfcourt options are numerous and running pick-and-roll with that many options will open lanes. Redick is one of the most active off-ball players in the league. Imagine how many passes Simmons could fire at him coming off a screen. Imagine running pick-and-roll with Fultz or Embiid. The beauty within Simmons’ game is he can exploit the best parts of his teammates. Simmons will be rocket fuel to anyone who shares the floor with him like that guy from Akron.

Next: 25-under-25 -- The best young players in the NBA

The Sixers won’t beat LeBron four out of seven times, let alone Golden State, but future contention revolves around versatility. Simmons may struggle scoring from the field on non-drives, but his abilities in other areas offensively and defensively equals success in today’s NBA. Simmons’ full potential won’t materialize until years down the road, but in 2017-18, you’ll see its path.