Smile, Philadelphia 76ers have 3 championship pieces on roster

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PHILADELPHIA, PA – MARCH 13: Ben Simmons #25 of the Philadelphia 76ers reacts in the second quarter against the Indiana Pacers at the Wells Fargo Center on March 13, 2018 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) /

Ben Simmons

Ben Simmons was not “planned” to happen to the Philadelphia 76ers. He just happened to appear in the NBA Draft when the Philadelphia 76ers needed a unique compliment to Joel Embiid, and held the top pick. But don’t mistake the events as just dumb luck. No other team looking at Ben Simmons saw anything other than a power forward. It was the audacity of head coach Brett Brown who saw what fans saw – a 6-foot-10 point guard who could revolutionize the NBA. And that is just what he is doing.

Ben Simmons is now averaging 16.2 points, 7.9 assists and 7.8 rebounds per game while shooting 53.5% from the field. No rookie has ever done that. Players in NBA history (regardless of year) who have hit those marks in a single season: Wilt, Magic, LeBron, MJ.
— Sheil Kapadia (@SheilKapadia) March 20, 2018

Elite year one

Ben Simmons is already, as a rookie, performing at an NBA elite level. The fact is that he is making a once-in-a-blue-moon event like Triple-Doubles as common to the Philadelphia 76ers as pocket change. And if the knock on Joel Embiid’s rookie season was just 31 games, then where is the applause for Simmons pushing nearly 35 minutes per game for 68 games? That equates to just one game on the bench.

Triple-doubles in a rookie season

Ben Simmons: 9
ROTY winners from 1997-2017 combined: 9 pic.twitter.com/YHrzODpMUj
— StatMuse (@statmuse) March 20, 2018

Triple doubles are nowhere near as easy as Ben Simmons makes them appear to be. And it’s that level of play this early in his career, at the toughest position in the NBA, which makes him the second piece of the triad.