I admit it, coming out of LSU I did not believe in the Ben Simmons hype at all. Everyone was sweating him so hard for being this athletic freak that could pass dribble and slam on anyone. Watching his LSU team suck game after game and him continue to take ugly L’s in college made me a non-believer. Then to not even make the NCAA tournament? You know 65 teams get in right? How can you be this NBA prospect monster and not have your team be one of the best 65 teams in the country? That I will never understand and I’d say the percentages would show that typically those players are busts in the NBA. (Markelle Fultz anyone?) But not Simmons, he’s legit and that injury ‘red-shirt’ year for the NBA definitely helped him out because he has been ready to go this year.
Also I never believe in guys that make the league with no jumper. Simmons still cannot shoot, but he is the rare guy who actually doesn’t need to be able to shoot to be effective. He almost passes like JKidd already in his first year and is 6’10.
Believing in listed heights for guys in the NBA is silly too. I read all the time that KD is a 7 footer. But yet he is listed at 6’9? That’s actually backwards for most guys because normally they are bumped up about an inch or 2 for the programs. (do programs even exist anymore?)
After seeing Simmons stand next to and over Lebron I now believe Simmons is legit 6’10. After watching Simmons play this season I now believe he’s a stud. The kid is putting up 16 points 8 boards & 8 dimes filling up stat sheets in year 1.
The lack of jumper is going to give him a lower ceiling on his career if he can’t develop one.
But Simmons can dribble pass and skyyyy
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bg5Av61HBfP/?hl=en&taken-by=bensimmons
–