LSU freshman Ben Simmons will hire an agent and enter the NBA draft, he told ESPN Insider Jeff Goodman. “I’m making it official,” Simmons told Goodman.
Simmons’ decision was a mere formality, as it was widely assumed he’d be a one-and-done prospect when he signed with the Tigers, who finished 19-14 and were not chosen for the NCAA Tournament.
The 6’10” Australia native averaged 19.2 points, 11.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game and has been at the top of most draft lists throughout the season, though he’s now vying for that honor with Duke freshman swingman Brandon Ingram.
Simmons has been compared to LeBron James and Magic Johnson because of his versatility and ballhandling skills, according to ESPN Insider Chad Ford, who still has Simmons atop his Big Board rankings. Simmons’ size, athleticism and passing ability will allow him to play multiple positions, anywhere from an oversized point guard to power forward. He prefers to play point forward, Ford adds, though there are questions about his motor.
Simmons’ best traits in the half-court revolve around his tremendous ballhandling and passing ability because of his court vision, as Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress notes in his in-depth analysis, though he hasn’t shown much range with his jump shot. Givony currently has Simmons ranked No. 2 behind Ingram.
Simmons plans to sign with Klutch Sports and agent Rich Paul, league sources recently told Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports. Paul is also James’ agent.
Simmons is a forward, not a point guard.
They said point forward lol. Which means he’s a forward that can run the pg position to lol
Before the edit, the title called him a guard and the body called him a point guard. Forward was not in the article at all.
point guard?
Simmons could play a variety of positions in the NBA. From an offensive standpoint, he’s very likely going to be a team’s primary ballhandler and playmaker. He might a point forward, like LeBron often is, or an oversized point guard like Magic. The Bucks are currently using 6’11” Giannis Antetokounmpo as their point guard. Simmons could wind up doing the same thing for his team, even though he’s 6’10”.
Ben Simmons = No Passion and/or Drive
However, there will be some silly team that will pick him and good luck to them!!!! SMH
How do these people confuse motor with not wanting to get hurt and end up forced to come back for a 2nd year. I still remember seeing Kevin Ware’s leg completely shatter. He was already projected to go #1 overall, play with some scrubs. His running mate, Quaterman may not even get drafted. Only Lakers fans don’t want him to go #1 overall, so they can trade Randle and Nance for something more usefull.
Simmons is someone who would have benefited from the old rule that let high schoolers go directly to the pros. I’m not sure he improved at all at LSU.
Ware was never projected to go in the first round, let alone 1st overall