10. Jonathon Simmons
Jonathan Simmons has had a rough start to his Sixers career. He’s still trying to find his role on offense, and up until Furkan Korkmaz’s injury, was fighting for playing time with two other players.
Simmons is a below-average shooter, has a herky-jerky handle, and at times, can look out of control with the ball in his hands. His scoring will most likely come from stand-still jumpers and easy buckets near the rim.
Simmons’ shortcomings on offense and small sample size have led to his No.10 ranking among our writers. Defense is where Simmons has the chance to make his greatest impact on the Sixers. He clawed his way into the NBA by being an active defender and a finisher at the rim. Simmons may not have the bounce he once did, but he still has the tools to benefit the Sixers on the defensive end of the floor.
Brett Brown said there will be a “tournament” between Simmons, Ennis, and Korkmaz for the main backup wing spot in the rotation. Korkmaz is hurt, Ennis hasn’t received many minutes or done anything to impress thus far, and Simmons looks like he could receive legitimate minutes moving forward.
I think Simmons will eventually do more to win over Sixers fans. He’s an intense player and a capable defender. There’s a solid chance James Ennis cuts into some of his minutes eventually, due to his three-point shooting.
Going forward, I expect Simmons to maintain playing roughly 15 minutes a night, and will have a playoff role similar to Justin Anderson last season — brief runs off the bench to be a tough, switchable defender. If the Sixers can resurrect Simmons’ San Antonio success as a live-body energy-man, he could become an interesting piece moving forward.
— AJ Iezzi