Philadelphia 76ers: Backup point guard options for Ben Simmons

With Ben Simmons set to become the starting floor general for the Philadelphia 76ers, here’s a look at some of the ideal candidates to becoming his backup from next season.

As each day passes, it seems more and more likely that Ben Simmons will be the starting point guard of the Philadelphia 76ers next season. Although he has stated it on several occasions, head coach Brett Brown doubled down even further recently when addressing the Sixers as a whole.

Speaking on Philadelphia radio via 97.5 The Fanatic, Brown detailed how he wishes to utilize Simmons’s strengths to help mold the identity of the team:

"“But the speed of the game is not getting slower. And athletes aren’t getting less athletic. The evolution of our game is quite clear. And so that’s how we want to play — we want to get ahead of the story and run our team like that. I think Ben is the leading candidate to help facilitate all of that.”"

Put simply, Brown wants to emphasise his mantra of “defense, pace and space” and take it to the next level — even if this means placing the ball handling duties in the hands of a rookie.

But in order for this to be successful, Simmons is going to require a guiding hand, both on and off the floor, to help him through this maturation process. Furthermore,  it needs to be a veteran who fits into the style of play that Brown and the franchise wants to instil as their calling card.

Here is a list of the best and most suitable veteran backup point guards to target this summer via either trade or free agency.