Ben Simmons will have an important role next season for the Philadelphia 76ers. Stop trying to arbitrarily define it.
The excitement surrounding this Philadelphia 76ers team is palpable. With J.J. Redick on board and the team’s young core finally entering the season healthy, the Sixers are firmly in the playoff discussion for the first time since The Process began.
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Part of that young core, and perhaps the most intriguing member of it, is Ben Simmons, whose role when paired alongside an elite point guard of Markelle Fultz‘s ilk is worth monitoring. A generational passer who carried the bulk of the playmaking load during his season-long collegiate run at LSU, Simmons figures to share that load with Fultz come next season. He has the size of a traditional four man at 6-foot-10, yet his athletic tools and overarching skill, are indicative of a role that’s far different.
That different and somewhat complex role has sparked some controversey around certain corners of the Sixers-centric web. With some dubbing him a point guard, others are standing firm in their belief that he’s a power forward. Some are even sold on him as a small forward.
All of that seems forced, though. If his role is so far removed from the traditional archetype for players of his size, why are we using traditional measures to label his position? It’s a convoluted and overstated reliance on semantics, and dragging out a debate with no defined solution is more irrelevant than it is controversial.
Simmons, no matter what you call him, is going to play a layered, multifaceted game in a Sixers offense that will flow around him in a similar manner. There will be multiple pieces filling multiple roles, while continuous ball and player movement will once again be the focal point of Brett Brown’s offensive schemes. He’ll aim to get the Sixers out and running in transition, but also use the inherent versatility of Simmons and Fultz to bend defenses in ways other teams can’t.
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There will definitely be sets where Simmons is, by all measures, playing point guard. He’ll handle the ball up the floor, perhaps find his way into a high pick-and-roll, and be relied upon to initiate the Sixers’ offensive possession. He’ll also have sets, however, where he’s the one setting the screen, operating as a roll man for Markelle Fultz as the latter handles the ball up the floor.
Simmons isn’t a shooter, but he’s inordinately gifted in just about every other facet. He’s an ambidextrous finisher around the basket, while his ability to see the floor from virtually any spot on the court is near-unheralded for a player of his size. He has received comparisons to Magic Johnson, who in a league more defined by traditional labels, played an untraditional brand of point guard. He has also drawn comparisons to LeBron James, who switches between forward spots while heading the Cleveland Cavaliers’ offensive attack in the midwest.
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There’s no reason to grapple with those labels for Simmons. Given the trends of today’s league, basketball’s positions are becoming more situational than concrete. Rotations are fluid, and Simmons’ game fits that mold. He’ll play point guard one possession, and the next he could be defending centers in the midst of a small ball group.
His fit doesn’t change according to what you call him. How he plays doesn’t change either. He can be a point guard, a power forward, or a doohickey. He’ll make an impact in several different areas regardless.
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Sitting here and having a discussion on Simmons’ purpose in the Sixers’ rotation is valid. How he’ll split the load with Fultz, how he’ll be utilized defensively and what sets he’ll be placed on and off the ball in are all legitimate conversations to partake in. Arguing about which two letters go beside his name in the score sheet isn’t.