The Sixer Sense
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After NBA Lottery Results, PG Ben Simmons Now Philadelphia 76ers Reality

By Bret Stuter

Jul 9, 2016; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Ben Simmons (25) gestures from the court during an NBA Summer League game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Thomas & Mack Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 9, 2016; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Ben Simmons (25) gestures from the court during an NBA Summer League game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Thomas & Mack Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports /
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Prior to the 2017 NBA Lottery, the question remained whether Philadelphia 76ers rookie Ben Simmons would be able to play NBA Point Guard. But the reality now is that he must

That 2017 NBA Lottery certainly has complicated some things for the Philadelphia 76ers. On one hand, the Philadelphia 76ers have been boldly proclaiming that rookie Ben Simmons will play the point guard position. President Bryan Colangelo thinks he can do it. Head coach Brett Brown thinks he can do it.  Even Ben Simmons himself thinks he can do it.

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    • I’m good with it too.

    On the other hand, after the results of the 2017 NBA Lottery, it’s no longer an experiment to be attempted, assessed, and ceased.  Now point guard Ben Simmons must become the team’s reality.

    PG Simmons, Only In Philly

    But that has been the dream of Ben Simmons all along. In fact, when other teams poo-poo’d all that prospective rookies talk of wanting to play point guard in the NBA, the Philadelphia 76ers gave silent consent.  It is that bond, that familiarity, that intimate knowledge that Brett Brown has with Ben Simmons that allowed the team to consent to such a preposterous idea.  The idea is so profoundly insane that nobody is taking it seriously.

    Big Mistake.

    The only player who may have derailed plans for Ben Simmons to assume the point guard duties of the Philadelphia 76ers is Markelle Fultz. He is not going to fall to the third pick.  Neither will Lonzo Ball, albeit the Sixers would not pick him at three if he fell that far.

    But Ben Simmons is rather gifted himself.  This isn’t some valueless consolation prize we end up with.  Check out his summer league highlights for yourself:

    More Front Court Help

    Now the Philadelphia 76ers can address that small forward position, and will likely have plenty to choose from: Kansas’ Josh Jackson, Duke’s Jayson Tatum, or Florida State’s Jonathon Isaac for examples.

    In fact, any of those players reinforce the shallowest position on the team.  With Justin Anderson and Robert Covington, any of the three mentioned give Dario Saric the opportunity to split the load at power forward.   Richaun Holmes can split time at center and power forward. In addition, the team appears very balanced after that first round pick:

    2017-2018 DEPTH CHART

    CENTER                                                POWER FORWARD                    SMALL FORWARD
    Joel Embiid                                           Dario Saric                                    Robert Covington
    Jahlil Okafor                                         Shawn Long                                 Josh Jackson
    Richaun Holmes                                 Richaun Holmes                          Justin Anderson*

    Shooting Guard                                 Point Guard
    Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot            Ben Simmons
    Nik Stauskas                                       T.J.McConnell
    Gerald Henderson                             Jerryd Bayless

    If you do your math, you will find that there are three extra roster spots: one on the team roster, and two Two-Way players.  With four second round picks, those spots will be filled easily in this draft. Surprisingly, if the team makes good on the constant threat to trade center Jahlil Okafor, the center position emerges as the weakest position of the team.

    Next: Philadelphia 76ers Free Agency: The Kyle Lowry Dilemma

    Don’t expect the team to just dump Okafor this off-season.  But if you want some expectation, you can gaze at that roster and see some post season play.