What Does Ben Simmons Mean To Australian Basketball

Ben Simmons is an extraordinary talent, but what difference is he going to make to basketball in Australia once he is in the NBA?

Australian basketball has a lot to be thankful for. In 1989, the National Basketball League’s Melbourne Tigers contracted Dave Simmons to be their import player. The Tigers kept Simmons for eight seasons, valuing his fight and hardness inside.

When the Tigers and Simmons parted ways, Simmons stayed in the league for another five seasons and, fortunately for Australian basketball married, an Australian girl and Ben Simmons was born.

Ben Simmons looks to be an amazing talent, he has the size, speed, agility and ball-handling which should allow him to flourish in the NBA. It has been apparent for the last two years that Simmons has a good chance at being the top pick in the NBA draft, which is coming up June 23.

Simmons won multiple awards in 2015, winning the Naismith Boy’s High School Player of the Year and then this year won the SEC Freshman of the Year and was named to the SEC All-Freshman team.

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But you know all that, you know that Simmons has the potential to be great. If he works on his outside shot and his defense then his ceiling will be higher than most. However, what you don’t know is what Simmons means to Australian basketball.

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Currently Australian basketball is healthy. Of the 17 men on the national team, seven of them play in the NBA, five of them play in Europe, four in Australia and Simmons is the only college player on the squad.

In saying that, Australian basketball has been reliant for the last 10 years on Andrew Bogut. All the other players are talented but if Bogut has been out, mainly due to injury, the Australian team has not performed all that well.

With the addition of Simmons to the squad, it will no longer be all about Bogut. That is good as he is 32 years old and coming to the end of his career.

The Australian public will not get to see Simmons in action with Bogut in the next major international tournament, which is the Rio Olympic games this year. Simmons has decided to focus on whichever franchise drafts him as this is where his money will come from.

Not risking injury before he starts his career is a great idea considering he will have the pressure of being a first or second draft pick as well and this is where he will earn his income.

However, Rio aside, Simmons will represent Australia based on his talent for many years to come.

Despite the fact that he is the youngest on the team at the moment, he will lead the next generation of Australian players when the likes of Bogut, David Andersen, Patty Mills and Joe Ingles have retired.

Everyone had an opinion on who should win and why, even if they had only just discovered the sport.

Until that happens, Simmons, Bogut, Ingles, Mills, Aron Baynes, Dante Exum, Matthew Dellavedova, and Cameron Bairstow form a solid nucleus of a team that will challenge any basketball team on the planet that does not come from America.

This then gives basketball more relevance within Australia. It builds upon the platform that was set last season when Cleveland took on Golden State for the title.

Here in Australia the passion that two Australians going against each other caused among the casual sports fan was amazing to see for us long time basketball followers.

We had two home-grown Aussies fighting for the biggest prize in basketball. Everyone had an opinion on who should win and why, even if they had only just discovered the sport.

Then, despite losing the series, Dellavedova reminded us of why he made it to the NBA, diving on every loose ball.

He showed a passion and intensity not seen in Australian basketball since Shane Heal ran down the basketball court in the face of Charles Barkley after Barkley had knocked him down after taking a shot.

That summed up Australian basketball at the time, we were the little blokes taking it to the champs, knowing that we were going to lose but still fighting because of pride.

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Shane Heal was the main reason that NBA general managers looked at Australian talent after that, as up until that point only Luc Longley had been successful in the NBA.

In addition to Heal who played parts of two seasons, Andrew Gaze and Mark Bradtke played part of a season and Chris Anstey played two seasons. There was a real spike in interest in Australia for basketball.

This generation of players then generation retired, leaving only Bogut to hold the torch. Bogut did his best despite the many injuries and not playing for one of the bigger teams that casual fans would know.

Unfortunately basketball popularity in Australia waned from the mid-2000s until Mills and Baynes won a championship ring with San Antonio in 2014.

I now cast my eye forward four years to Tokyo 2020 when Australia should qualify based on the talent available for these Olympics. This will be the best chance for Australia to medal, having never won a medal of any color.

I can see the starting five being Mills, Dellavedova, Simmons, Baynes and Bogut.

For the first time ever the Australian bench will have NBA players on it at the start of the game. Joe Ingles, Dante Exum and Cameron Bairstow will all be watching the start and If Thon Maker is drafted, this will be nine NBA players on the Australian squad.

If Simmons and Maker both play in the NBA between now and 2020 then that will make it 17 players from Australia who have played in the NBA, so nine is a significant number. Of those nine, Simmons will make the biggest difference.

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Up until now, Australia has never had a star small forward and has always been attacked through that position by the best teams.

In four years time, Simmons will have come into his own as a player. If he gets drafted by Philadelphia or the Los Angeles Lakers, he will be their starting small forward from the opening tip off next season.

Simmons will have four years where week in and week out he could face Kawhi Leanard, Kevin Durant, Harrison Barnes, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Paul George. I have always said that there are very few nights off in the NBA and with the small forward position being so strong,

Simmons will have to learn fast. With this experience, Simmons should be able to take Australia to its first Olympic or world championship medal and once again will bring basketball back into the eye of the Australian public.

The more kids who see players like Simmons succeed and medal for Australia, the more chance they will follow basketball as their main sport.

In America, this may seem weird. You play High School ball, follow that up by the best players being offered scholarships to go through college and then onto the NBA. There is a path to follow which produces superstar after superstar.

Basketball in Australia is more of a weekend sport and to do anything with it you have to move half way around the world to follow your dream. Let’s hope the actions of Simmons and the rest of the young stars can inspire the next generation of Australian talent.