While obviously not in a starting capacity, Ben Simmons has the chance to provide some entertaining minutes at center for the Philadelphia 76ers.
Small ball is something I’ve preached on quite a bit. While the ideal somewhat contradicts with a core built around a generational big man in Joel Embiid, the added dynamic of being able to go small is something few teams are able to master.
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers have a chance to do just that.
Brett Brown’s offense is already based on movement, both on and off the ball. With legit shooters now in place, he’ll be able to run a myriad of different actions to put his foremost offensive weapons in a position to succeed. They’ll run countless pick-and-rolls with Markelle Fultz, put Embiid into dribble handoffs and place Ben Simmons into as many mismatches as possible.
One way to almost ensure a mismatch for the latter, however, is to put him in a position where nobody can defend him: center.
Simmons doesn’t have a true position, but the semantics are a bit more necessary in this scenario. Whether it’s facing other small ball rotations or not, Simmons has a combination of skill and physical prowess that few equally-sized bigs can match — and throwing him against the biggest defenders on the floor, or forcing them elsewhere onto the perimeter, could put opposing defenses at a significant disadvantage.
Perhaps an odd-but-fitting comparison to draw is Nikola Jokic. We’ve all seen the sheer excitement that comes from his court vision and the resulting passes. He’s able to manipulate and exploit defenses in a way no other big man can, all while measuring out as a subpar athlete by almost all NBA measures.
He’s slower than most modern fives, while his frame isn’t the most chiseled on the floor. He survives solely off of basketball I.Q. and an advanced skill set. Simmons could do that while pushing the ball at breakneck speed and weaving through traffic in the halfcourt.
Simmons has the size to do it. At 6-foot-10, 240 pounds, Simmons easily has the frame to handle fives at the NBA level. In an era where lineups are decreasing in size, he has the strength to hold his own — and the athleticism to bother shots. His mobility shouldn’t skew that perception.
There were questions about Simmons’ physicality on the defensive end during his collegiate days, but those concerns were likely overblown. Much akin to Fultz in Washington, Simmons was the offensive workhorse for a team that relied heavily on his presence. He was also used more as a roamer than an on-ball defender, floating in for rebounds while looking to make plays in the passing lanes, rather than sticking in isolation.
That led to some ill-advised gambles, but his instincts were on full display. Once paired with a more defined role and some NBA-level coaching, he should be plenty apt on that end of the floor.
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The offensive benefits then come in bountiful fashion. You’d be able to surround Simmons with four other shooters, giving him plenty of space to work downhill in the halfcourt while spreading the defense to it’s proverbial breaking point in transition.
Imagine that Brett Brown stretches the rotation to Simmons, Robert Covington, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, J.J. Redick and Markelle Fultz. That’s not only a defensive capable rotation, but one with plenty of offensive firepower to spread around.
Every single one of them would have a functional role in the halfcourt, while their combination of quickness, athleticism and shooting could overwhelm slower defenses when gunning down court.
It’s rare that we see a skill set of Simmons’ caliber, much less somebody with his physical repertoire. He’s both a generational passer and a top tier athlete who’s capable of playing virtually any position on the floor.
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In a league that relies so heavily on versatility, options are important. Small ball is an option Brett Brown needs to consider, and Simmons would ideally be the focal point of that rotational concoction.