Despite a lot of discussion and confusion over Ben Simmons‘ position, the best way way for the Philadelphia 76ers to use him could be based on Giannis Antetokounmpo and Blake Griffin.
"“Giannis is playing at a very high level right now. After the break, we’ve made some changes, we’ve kind of given him the ball as the point guard. We haven’t announced that he’s the point guard, but we’re letting him start the offense. On misses, we’re trying to get the ball to him as quick as possible and have everybody else run. And he’s made some incredible passes.”"
The above quote comes from Jason Kidd and is part of Eric Nehm’s article evaluating if Giannis Antetokounmpo should be considered a point guard. While how the Milwaukee Bucks use Antetokounmpo has no affect on the Philadelphia 76ers, he is a good example on how Ben Simmons is likely to be used and what type of production we can expect from him during the 2017-18 season.
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Antetokounmpo is 6-foot-11 and 222 pounds, and has averaged 14.9 points, 3.6 assists, 6.9 rebounds, 1.1 steals, 1.3 blocks, and 2.3 turnovers per game and made 28 percent of his 3-pointers during his four seasons in the NBA. Antetokounmpo’s third season, and the only season he is officially listed as a point guard, shows the type of production Simmons could realistically achieve his rookie season. Averaging 16.9 points, 4.3 assists, and 7.7 rebounds per game, Antetokounmpo was ranked 35th in assists and rebounds among all players that season.
While the Sixers can expect Antetokounmpo’s 2015-16 stat line for Simmons for the upcoming season, Simmons’ role with the team and during most of his career in the NBA will likely be closer to Blake Griffin.
When most people think of Griffin they think of an amazingly athletic guy whose best ability is dunking, but Griffin is a great passer — especially for a power forward. Among small and power forwards in assists per game for the 2016-17 season Griffin was ranked fifth with 4.9 behind LeBron James (8.7), Draymond Green (7), Jimmy Butler (5.5), and Antetokounmpo (5.4). Comparing Griffin’s two seasons at Oklahoma to Simmons’ lone season at LSU, the similarities between the two players become clearer. Griffin averaged 18.8 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game during his college career, and Simmons averaged 19.2 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game during his.
"“Back in early 2014, Paul suffered a right shoulder injury that sidelined him for five weeks. The Clippers’ key players were the same then as they are now, with Griffin, big man DeAndre Jordan, shooting guard J.J. Redick and super sixth man Jamal Crawford holding down fort. They went 12-6 during that stretch, with then-Clippers point guard Darren Collison playing the part of Ray Felton (who is now starting) and various role players filling in on the fringes all the same. Griffin played some of the best basketball of his career, leading the team in scoring during that 18-game stretch (27.5 points per game on 55.4% shooting) while serving as a pivotal playmaker (4.4 assists per) who led the offense that was the league’s second-best (112.1 points scored per 100 possessions during that span).”"
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The above quote is from Sam Amick’s What does Blake Griffin’s return mean for Clippers? and is the perfect example of Simmons’ best-case scenario. The Clippers of the past six seasons were built around a point guard in Chris Paul, a power forward in Griffin, and a center in DeAndre Jordan. The Sixers of the foreseeable future will be built around a point guard in Markelle Fultz, a power forward in Simmons, and a center in Joel Embiid.
The player with the second highest assists per game for the Clippers last season was Griffin despite being listed as a power forward and their defense ranked 12th in points given up per game thanks to Jordan’s rim protection. With Simmons playing a point guard-ish role from the power forward spot, J.J. Reddick playing the same role he played with the Clippers last season but with more leadership, and Embiid anchoring the defense with his rim protection, the Sixers are a Eastern Conference version of the Clippers with the same expectations of making the playoffs and maybe winning a round this upcoming season.
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Obviously Embiid will be a better player than Jordan and the odds are against Fultz being as good as Paul. But it’s possible that Simmons becomes a better player than Griffin and is on par with Antetokounmpo in his prime. And if that happens. There’s no reason the Sixers couldn’t become championship contenders.