Philadelphia 76ers: The Pro-tential of Simmons and Ingram

The Philadelphia 76ers are looking for a star with the top overall pick in the NBA Draft. Could it be Ben Simmons or Brandon Ingram?

Should the Philadelphia 76ers take either Ben Simmons or Brandon Ingram? Is the NBA Draft an exact science? Obviously not. Then how does one come up with a list of players and project who, when, where, why and how?

Through research and comparing notes and leaks. The late great George “Roadie” Rodecker (1950-2015) of Draft Report fame (he is noteworthy for his report on the now famous 1996 NBA Draft) came up with a formula for compiling a prospect’s “pro-tential.” He also contributed to: Basketball Times, Eastern Basketball and College Hoops Insider.

What is “pro-tential?” Pro-tential is measured by the following:

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1. Ball Handling: Can he dribble well? In traffic? Can he penetrate? Can he handle full court pressure and traps? Does he protect the ball?

2. Perimeter Shooting: Can he stroke an open three pointer? Can he come off a pick to nail a jumper? Is he a pure shooter? Does he have a three-point game?

3. Defensive Skills: A look at a player’s defensive ability — inside or on the perimeter, anticipation, help and recover, denial, shot blocking, position.

4. Rebounding: Simply, does he block out and clear the ball off the glass? Can he go up with the big boys and bring down the ball?

5. Create His Own Shot: Does he have the ability to create his own opportunities? Is he able to make things happen on the floor by himself?

6. Offensive Skills: Can he score around the basket? Can he handle contact and put the ball in the hole? Can he showcase a variety of offensive moves?

7. Passing Skills: Can he see the court and deliver a pass to the open man? Can he make an entry pass? Can he make interior passes? How’s his decision-making?

8. Toughness / Character: What is the player made out of? Does he want to be on the court in crunch time? Who gets the loose balls? Will he take the charge? Do you want him with you in the trenches?

9. Pro Potential: Does he have the size and ability to use his skills in the pros? Is he a “project” with tremendous upside? Is he the dreaded “good college player,” or even worse a “tweener?” Will the skills he exhibited in college translate into success at the next level?

10. Athleticism: Can he run and jump? Does he have quickness, speed, lateral movement, strength, and conditioning?

11. Feel For The Game: (Rodecker also called this, “Court Presence and Leadership”) Does he understand what is going on around him? Can he see changes in the play? Does he instinctively sense and seize opportunities.

12. Maturity / Leadership: Do you want him leading you into battle? Does he make other people better? A good influence in the locker room? Is he a winner?

Rodecker argued that the “harder questions involve intangibles. Is he a leader? How tough is he? Does he want the ball in the final seconds? How will he react to adversity? Does he have presence?”

Rodecker developed the Player PRO-tential Index (PPI) to arrive at a single number for each draft prospect. In theory, this indicates how a player stands in relation to his peers and players of the same position. What makes this difficult? Obviously it is the subjectivity. What constitutes a “9.5” for ball handling or a “6.5” for rebounding?

Having said that, George offered incredible insight into player evaluations.

Each player was graded on a scale of one to ten for all twelve categories. If a player were to grade out with a perfect score for every attribute, he would score 120.

“Roadie” reminded us of the fact that:

"“there are five different positions on the floor, each with a varying degree of application for each rated ability, throws a wrench into our quest for accuracy. Having judged a players ability on a flat scale for each category, we then apply a predetermined formula to certain attributes according to that players agreed upon position on the floor (point guard, two guard, swing guard, small forward, power forward, center).”"

The significance of evaluation by position was to ensure that take say, a point guard was not penalized for lack of post defense, or a center graded too harshly for not having a good handle. College basketball coaches like to say at clinics that all players need to guard the post and all players need to dribble well, but c’mon.

The bottom line is that George would potentially give Ben Simmons a 113.75 and Brandon Ingram, a 110.50 after adding all 12 categories.

In other words, Simmons is likely the safe pick for the Philadelphia 76ers.

Next: Flat Top Podcast: NBA Draft Special

Back in the day, George would write to each Division-I college head and assistant coach, 75 professional scouts, and 25 select media members. George Rodecker would send out over 500 evaluations every season. How many would he receive back? On average, just over 300. Pretty good work. Hopefully, the Sixers see Simmons as George probably would:

Number One.