What Does Ben Simmons Do For The 76ers?

How does Ben Simmons fit with the Philadelphia 76ers both now and in the future?

If the casual fan was looking at the current Philadelphia 76ers roster and examined the players the team currently has along with the one they just drafted with the No. 1 overall pick, they’d probably ask, “Why another big guy?”

Except Ben Simmons isn’t your average NBA power forward by any stretch.

What the Sixers are getting both in the short- and long-term is a point guard at 6’10” and 240 pounds.

Most guys Simmons’ size can’t see the floor and pass the ball like he can. A lot of that also has to do with their speed and agility, as they generally can’t get to the same spots on the floor that shorter and faster guards can.

Related Story: 25 Best Players to Play for the Philadelphia 76ers

That’s where Simmons is unique. He has the handle and quickness of a perimeter player while possessing the necessary size to handle pressure and compete down in the post.

Seeing as though Philly has a lot of talented bigs (including Dario Saric, who may come over to play in the 2016-17 season), the team needs someone who can distribute and get them the ball in effective situations.

More from Philadelphia 76ers

• That escalated quickly: How the Harden-Morey situation intensified
• 3 NBA superstars with legacies on the line heading into 2023–24
• Ranking the 4 riskiest boom-or-bust NBA teams in 2023–24
• NBA Rumors: Stalled trade talks may lead to Blazers, 76ers keeping stars
• NBA Trades: This Blazers, Heat, 76ers, and Clippers swap would alter NBA

Simmons has that capability and more, but the scariest thought is one of the centers playing pick-and-roll with him.

There’s nothing to suggest that Simmons isn’t good enough to operate a fully functional pick-and-roll game. He makes great decisions with the ball in his hands and it’s hard to keep him out of the lane.

The pure size of a pick-and-roll between Simmons and either Joel Embiid or Nerlens Noel is enough to make some squads cringe, especially those who want to try to go small.

Where he’s truly special though is in the transition game. He’s always been an above-average rebounder for his size, and as soon as he grabs a board on the defensive end he can lead the break and find his teammates out in the open for easy looks.

The 76ers want to play fast, seeing as though they’ve built their team around youthful athletes who are at their best when in constant motion.

Robert Covington, Jerami Grant and even the newly drafted Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot are all more comfortable operating in an up-and-down style rather than running everything out of the halfcourt.

Only one question remains regarding Simmons’ real fit in Philadelphia: is he a full-time point guard or more of a secondary playmaker like Draymond Green?

There’s belief around the basketball community that Simmons could fill both roles, but it’s likely the Sixers still go and look for a veteran floor general to at least bridge the gap in Simmons’ development.

He may end up as more that serviceable point forward, but giving him those duties right out of the gate could stunt his growth as a player as well as his confidence. Younger guards struggle to run teams, and Simmons could have the same growing pains.

The way the game of basketball is going, it’s never a bad thing to have too many versatile athletes who can make plays for others on the floor. Simmons is a respected talent, but his biggest weakness is what he’ll have to continue to work on the most which is shooting the basketball.

More from Hoops Habit

• 7 Players the Miami Heat might replace Herro with by the trade deadline
• Meet Cooper Flagg: The best American prospect since LeBron James
• Are the Miami Heat laying the groundwork for their next super team?
• Sophomore Jump: 5 second-year NBA players bound to breakout
• NBA Trades: The Lakers bolster their frontcourt in this deal with the Pacers

Until he proves he needs to be guarded tight on the perimeter and teams run their men underneath screens instead of over, Simmons won’t be as effective of a player.

His game is predicated on driving to the basket and figuring things out on the fly, but if he can’t create that same space it’ll prove tougher to drive on professionals than college or high school kids.

The good news is that his jumper isn’t broken. His mechanics are fluid and he has a high release on his shot. It’s just going to take a lot of work and repetition to get it to a level where he feels comfortable pulling up to throw something new at the defense.

If Simmons can knock down jump shots, then he becomes a serious problem for opposing teams (not to mention that he rises up a few notches on the level of stardom).

Philadelphia needed a prospect with superstar potential to jumpstart the rebuild, and Simmons is a moldable talent who can mesh with the different players and styles the Sixers will look to incorporate in the near future and beyond.

More hoops habit: 25 Greatest Rookie Seasons Of All-Time

He was worth the gamble at first overall, and he gives the 76ers a much brighter outlook.