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2016 NBA Draft: Ben Simmons Is The Clear No. 1 Prospect

By Maxwell Ogden

Nov 16, 2015; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; LSU Tigers forward Ben Simmons (25) slam dunks against the Kennesaw State Owls during the first half of a game at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 16, 2015; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; LSU Tigers forward Ben Simmons (25) slam dunks against the Kennesaw State Owls during the first half of a game at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 13, 2016; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; LSU Tigers forward Ben Simmons (25) shoots over Texas A&M Aggies guard Alex Caruso (21) during the first half of a game at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 13, 2016; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; LSU Tigers forward Ben Simmons (25) shoots over Texas A&M Aggies guard Alex Caruso (21) during the first half of a game at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /

Unfathomable Speed

Ben Simmons stands at 6’10” and 240 pounds with a 7’0″ wingspan. While he may not have the most explosive vertical in the world, he does possess something that few players at his size ever have: elite end-to-end speed and side-to-side quickness.

Per Chad Ford of ESPN, Simmons posted athletic measurements that’d be sensational for a point guard.

Athletically, Simmons can very easily play the 3.

Simmons’ three-quarter sprint time of 3.05 seconds is the fastest mark posted by any prospect in the 2016 NBA Draft. For perspective, that’s the same time that Derrick Rose posted in 2008, and a faster mark than those posted by John Wall—3.14—and Russell Westbrook—3.08.

In other words, at 6’10” with a 7’0″ wingspan, Simmons is faster than the two most explosive point guards in the NBA.

Furthermore, Simmons’ lane agility time of 10.61 is the No. 7 mark in the 2016 NBA Draft. He moves just about as well laterally as any available point guard, or any perimeter player who’s currently in the NBA.

That brings us to the next—and the most understated—point on Simmons’ draft profile.

Next: Defense

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