Ben Simmons becoming Philadelphia 76ers’ best player

Ben Simmons has always been the key to the Philadelphia 76ers’ title aspirations and it appears he’s taking that responsibility seriously.

From opening tip until he was subbed off the floor for the last time, Ben Simmons asserted himself as the best player on the court in the Philadelphia 76ers‘ 103-97 win over the Boston Celtics Wednesday night.

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The majority of casual observers would’ve tabbed Joel Embiid as the team’s likeliest top performer, as he’s been projected by some to be a top-three MVP candidate heading into the 2019-20 season.

What Simmons did though against Boston wasn’t necessarily surprising, but a welcome addition to Philly’s offensive attack moving forward, outlined by our own Alec Liebsch.

It wasn’t just the 24 points on 11-of-16 shooting that stands out. All of his points were either in the paint or the free throw line, that much hasn’t changed.

But Simmons’ aggressive motor and determination to score and put the team on his back was something that quite frankly didn’t exist last season outside of a handful of occasions including a memorable playoff victory against the Brooklyn Nets.

Whether it was in transition, creating for others in the halfcourt or communicating with teammates on defense to hold the Celtics to 36.7 percent shooting from the field, Simmons quarterbacked the Sixers and impressed from a pure leadership standpoint.

Certainly refreshing to see this side of Simmons in the team’s season opener, the appropriate question to ask is can he replicate this kind of performance night in and night out?

The short answer is yes, and given recent comments regarding maturity and outings during the preseason coupled with the stat line from his first game this year breeds optimism for fans and media everywhere that have had concerns about his professional commitment to the game.

"“I think [this summer] it was really taking charge and saying you know what, this is what I need. X, Y, and Z, I need this guy, I need this in place, and really just locking into that and getting a rhythm going in my schedule with what I was doing, and just sticking with it.”"

Sure it’s important for him to continue developing a reliable jump shot at least out to 17 feet. That shot doesn’t make or break his overall impact on offense though, as has been put on display consistently throughout his young career.

Attacking when he has any sort of opening, either within a set offense or on the break, is crucial for Philly to take the next step and contend for a title.

Simmons’ talent level was simply undeniable against Boston and that’s not a coincidence. Embiid looked out of place trying to mesh with newcomer Al Horford on offense, Tobias Harris seemed timid to shoot when he had openings and elected to pass more often than not and Josh Richardson took his time to get hot from the perimeter and start knocking down open looks.

Defensively, the unit played together cohesively and shut things down. Offense was a different story, but Simmons as the only constant shouldn’t be a complete shock.

He knows who he is as a basketball player: a 6’10” point forward who possesses the size, speed and handle to break down defenses and either create high percentage shots at the rim or dish out to teammates for easy spot-up or cut looks. In transition, Simmons is a gazelle who has few equals when factoring in speed, finishing and playmaking ability on the move.

All of that information isn’t new, but when you put purpose behind that player and empower him to be himself and take over games in his own way, there’s a noticeable difference in efficiency and output.

We saw a motivated Ben Simmons last night, and if he continues to come at opponents with the same ferociousness and vocality on both ends of the floor, there’s no denying his overall skills package will propel him to best player status on the 76ers, even past the juggernaut that is Embiid.

And if he actually pulls a jumper out of his bag? What a scary thought for everyone around the league.