Philadelphia 76ers: Ranking the value of each current player
By Derek Hryn
2. Ben Simmons
Ben Simmons will look to trounce his successful first season with an even better one this time around. He is currently one of the preseason locks in the Eastern Conference to be selected as an NBA All-Star in 2018-19.
His majestic playmaking ability took the league by storm last year. In 81 games, Simmons averaged 15.8 points, 8.2 assists and 8.1 rebounds per game, leading the Sixers to a 52-30 regular season record. He also recorded 12 triple-doubles, passing Magic Johnson for the second-most in NBA history by a rookie and trailing only Oscar Robertson.
Though Simmons’ ability to thread the needle at the point guard position is unheard of, he still needs to find other ways to effect the course of a game. At 6’10”, he still needs to stay ahead of his development and mend his shooting ability before defenses begin to catch on to his craft. The NBA is a shooting league first, and a passing league second.
For now, he will continue as the star floor general for this team’s talented roster.