Philadelphia 76ers: 2017-18 player grades for Ben Simmons

Following a phenomenal rookie campaign, here’s a look back at the 2017-18 season for Ben Simmons of the Philadelphia 76ers.

After a year on the sidelines, Ben Simmons more than made up for lost time in his debut season with the Philadelphia 76ers.

By averaging 15.8 points, 8.2 assists, 8.1 rebounds and 1.7 steals in 33.7 minutes per game, Simmons stood out in a manner that is extremely rare among rookie floor generals. Furthermore, the fact that Simmons was able to put his stamp on the team with a glaring weakness — an outside shot — makes his season all the more impressive.

At 6’10”, and possessing a rare combination of size, quickness and ball-handling, the 21-year-old Simmons demonstrated all the capabilities of becoming a transcendent player at the point guard position. Most impressively, Simmons was able to utilize his physical strengths at both ends of floor, with his capabilities as a defender becoming evident as the season progressed.

One of three players nominated for Rookie of the Year honors, Simmons also narrowly missed being selected as an All-Star, with those honors instead going to his teammate, Joel Embiid.

So with 81 regular season games and a highly competitive postseason under his belt, here’s a look back at Simmons’ 2017-18 campaign.