Named on the Summer League Roster of the Philadelphia 76ers, Ben Simmons waited until he signed on the dotted line. He is playing in the summer league.
Competition is the name of the game. That is why Ben Simmons takes a basketball with him wherever he goes. It’s not only a reminder of what he does for a living, but it serves as a constant companion – a symbol – that he plays a very competitive sport of basketball.
And now, he competes in that sport as a Philadelphia 76er. As of today, that is.
He arrived in Salt Lake City Utah today. Salt Lake City is the first site of the series of the Philadelphia 76ers Summer league games.
Ben Simmons arrived in Salt Lake City tonight.
— Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) July 3, 2016
Simmons joins his teammates for Sunday practice, followed by his first game as a Philadelphia 76er. Since being drafted as the first pick of the 2016 NBA Draft, this day has been long awaited and anticipated.
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The Philadelphia 76ers will play a six game schedule in Salt Lake City, UT followed by a second summer league series in Las Vegas, NV. The team will face the Boston Celtics on July 4 2016 at 7:00 PM. On July 5, 2016, the team faces the San Antonio Spurs. On July 7, the team faces the home court Utah Jazz. On July 9th, the team faces the Los Angeles Lakers. July 10th the team faces off against the Chicago Bulls. Finally, and July 12th, the team faces the Golden State Warriors.
Summer league is an opportunity for teams to prepare their rookies for NBA level competition and is mainly a showcase for rookies and undrafted players trying to play their way onto an NBA contract. The Philadelphia 76ers have several players trying to earn an NBA contract, such as former Ole Miss forward Thomasz Gielo .
Joining Gielo and Simmons will be returning players T.J. McConnell, Richaun Holmes, James Nunnaly, and Christian Wood. All but Nunnaly played for the 76ers last year, while Nunnaly played for the team for nine games during the 2013-2014 season.
For all intents and purposes, the majority of interest from fans and media alike will be the debut of point forward Ben Simmons. Will he play varying roles? Will he play from the power forward position and lead the offense? Will he rotate down to the three, two, or even one position to test his ability on defense from those spots?
And most of all, will he attempt mid range and perimeter shots, to silence the critics who feel his shooting should have dropped his status in the NBA Draft?
Next: NBA Rumors: Philadelphia 76ers and Ben Simmons Inking Contract
We’ll have answers to these and more questions on July 4th, fans. Stay Tuned!