The Sixer Sense
Fansided

Roundtable: Thoughts on Ben Simmons’ first month

By Christopher Kline

LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 13: Ben Simmons #25 of the Philadelphia 76ers reacts to his rebound during a 109-105 win over the LA Clippers at Staples Center on November 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 13: Ben Simmons #25 of the Philadelphia 76ers reacts to his rebound during a 109-105 win over the LA Clippers at Staples Center on November 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
7 of 11
Next
PHILADELPHIA, PA – NOVEMBER 3: Ben Simmons #25 of the Philadelphia 76ers takes off his ripped jersey in the second quarter against the Indiana Pacers at the Wells Fargo Center on November 3, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – NOVEMBER 3: Ben Simmons #25 of the Philadelphia 76ers takes off his ripped jersey in the second quarter against the Indiana Pacers at the Wells Fargo Center on November 3, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

Michael Bronson

As someone that would’ve been mad if the Philadelphia 76ers selected Brandon Ingram over Ben Simmons and believed Simmons would win Rookie of the Year before a single regular season game was played, I’m surprised by how good Simmons is in his rookie season.

Simmons is leading all rookies in points, assists, and rebounds per game and has managed to record two triple-double in his first nine games, an achievement that only Hall of Fame center Oscar Robertson did as a rookie. While Simmons’ ability to rebound and pass was recognized by most people, his ability to be a great scorer was underrated.

In college Simmons averaged 19.2 points per game which was higher than Blake Griffin (18.8), Anthony Davis (14.2), and James Harden’s (19) points per game in college, so Simmons’ 17.78 points per game through 13 games should be seen as proof that he’s an elite scorer and not a product of being the best player on a bad LSU team.

While Simmons’ ability to score a lot of points without a reliable jump shot is impressive, for Simmons to continue to score at a high level he will need to improve his free throw shooting. Simmons made 67 percent of his free throws in college and has made 60 percent of his free throws in 12 games. The reason why free throw shooting is more important than having a midrange or 3-point jump shot is because Simmons goes to the free throw line on 37 percent of the shots he takes.

Overall Simmons is showing that if Joel Embiid was unable to stay healthy, the Sixers still have a player that has the potential to be the best player on a championship team.