Realistic Expectations For Ben Simmons’ Rookie Year
With NBA training camps opening up, here’s a realistic look at what to expect from Ben Simmons in his rookie season with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Ben Simmons isn’t an ordinary rookie and his draft spot has nothing to do with it.
No. 1 overall picks generally have unrealistic expectations placed on them to “be a savior” to an ailing franchise. But Simmons has much more pressure mounted on his shoulders.
Comparisons to LeBron James and Magic Johnson have had casual fans and league executives curious for months. With the Philadelphia 76ers opening training camp this week, everyone finally gets to see how much work Simmons put in this summer.
No matter how much preparation he’s done for the looming regular season, Simmons hasn’t played meaningful basketball yet. First-year players struggle with handling the spotlight and adjusting to the NBA game. It’s a natural transition that everyone goes through.
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On occasion a few rookies rise to the challenge and exceed expectations, much like last year’s first pick, Karl-Anthony Towns.
Towns has firmly entrenched himself as a future superstar barring any health concerns. He’s a complete center with skills both around and away from the basket. Not to mention he excels at covering multiple positions on defense.
Simmons has similar potential as a point guard trapped in a power forward’s body. His 6’10” size allows him to see over the defense and easily make plays for others. He has the handle, athleticism and basketball IQ to excel as a distributor and leader on offense.
Defensively he can cover multiple positions and isn’t terrible at playing the passing lanes and forcing turnovers. If he develops proper instincts to block and contest shots on a regular basis then he has the chance to be special.
All of these attributes should equal immediate success, but as we saw in Summer League that wasn’t always the case.
Simmons’ Weaknesses
In Las Vegas, Simmons dropped a number of beautiful dimes to his teammates, but also lost the ball on numerous occasions. He has better control over the basketball than most players his size, but it’s not perfect.
He doesn’t have the same handle of a smaller point guard, resulting in strips off drives and careless turnovers. Simmons sometimes attacks the paint like he has better control than he does, but he’ll adjust. After all he’s only 20 years old.
Even though he racked up 23 turnovers in just six games, he did have 33 assists. His knack for making the right decision and finding the open man is unquestionable.
But passing isn’t everything when it comes to performing on a superstar level. Eventually Simmons will have to score regularly, and that’s where he struggled most over the summer.
He had bursts and flashes in which he looked like he could go for 30, but overall he struggled to finish consistently.
Simmons shot 32.2 percent from the field overall and only attempted one 3-point shot, which he missed. He attempted 33 free throws, but only converted on 64.3 percent of them.
Bottom line is that Simmons isn’t a great shooter or efficient scorer at this stage of his development.
He relies too much on his right hand around the rim, and will have to learn how to finish with either hand in traffic. Improving from the charity stripe will also go a long way in seeing his percentages and scoring totals jump.
Final Projections
With all that being said, Simmons will have plenty of opportunities to shine as a leader and playmaker in Philadelphia.
His shooting totals will increase with experience and work in practice, and he’ll cut down on turnovers with more exposure to the professional game.
There’s no reason to panic about his future, but there will be shortcomings in the present.
Next: Philadelphia 76ers: 2016-17 Season Outlook
Don’t expect Simmons to change life for the 76ers in his rookie season, but do expect him to point them in the right direction moving forward.