Ben Simmons’ Position Doesn’t Matter in Today’s NBA
By Tyler King
It’s been debated for months what position Ben Simmons will play when he finally steps onto the court for the Philadelphia 76ers. But, with the way the game of basketball is being played today, does it matter what we label him as?
Basketball is changing.
If this playoff season has taught us anything, it’s that the NBA game is very different than it was even five, six years ago.
The biggest change that we’ve seen is with the positions on the basketball court.
Philadelphia 76ers
The game has been moving toward what many NBA writers are calling “position-less” basketball, where a true “point guard” isn’t bringing the ball up the court every time and where the same two players aren’t matched up against each other on both sides of the ball.
Despite this change in the game, the question of Ben Simmons’ position as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers has been brought up several times in the last few months, particularly to head coach Brett Brown and general manager Bryan Colangelo.
Simmons has great playmaking and passing ability for his size, 6-10 and 240 lbs, and that is the major reason these questions are being posed.
He obviously does not have the size of a typical point guard, but throughout his lone year at LSU, Simmons was the primary ball handler for the Tigers and was the guy running the offense whenever he was on the floor.
Brown has been asked on numerous occasions if Simmons is going to be the “point guard” for the Sixers, and he has repeatedly said he intends to have Simmons bringing the ball up the floor and initiating the offense.
This has led many to question what Simmons will do on the defensive end, and Brown and Colangelo have both addressed this questions, but in different ways.
Brown has said he envisions Simmons guarding other frontcourt players, while Colangelo stated that he felt Simmons was capable of guarding the other team’s point guard.
As much as I’m sure Brown and Colangelo are tired of the questions regarding Simmons’ position in the NBA, I’ve also become annoyed every time it’s brought up during a media availability because it simply does not matter what you label Simmons as.
Simmons is such a unique player even in today’s day and age where typical frontcourt players like LeBron James, Draymond Green, and Gordon Hayward are consistently bringing the ball up the court for their teams.
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Simmons will do that and more for the Sixers. As Brown stated, he envisions Simmons being the primary ball handler and the guy that initiates the offense for the Sixers. It makes sense for Brown to want to do this as Simmons showed off his gifted passing ability and his unselfishness in the NBA Summer League as well as during his lone season at LSU.
It’s no question everyone within the Sixers organization and the fans want Simmons to be the primary initiator on offense, but there are varying opinions on who he should be guarding on defense.
While Colangelo may be right that Ben Simmons has the length and quickness to defend opposing guards, Simmons is likely best when guarding opposing fours. Simmons showed elite rebounding ability while at LSU, and allowing him to grab boards and push the pace on the fast break will only benefit the Sixers.
What I just described Simmons as isn’t a position in the typical basketball sense. But there are no defined positions in today’s NBA.
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So there is no point in debating whether or not Ben Simmons in a true “point guard” or not because that term does not mean the same thing it did five years ago.
The only thing worth debating until Simmons actually steps on the court for the Sixers is the kind of impact he is capable of having in both the short and long-term future of the franchise.