Philadelphia Sixers: Why Ben Simmons can make an All-Defense team in 2019-20

Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons could add another accolade next season.

Philadelphia 76ers point guard Ben Simmons: A tremendous playmaker, a great scorer in the paint, a great rebounder and, last but not least, a really good defender. He does have a major flaw in his shot and everyone knows it’s a work in progress. Perhaps a future MVP candidate when he does get a decent shot, but as of now, Ben Simmons has a really good shot of making it to an NBA All-Defense team.

Ben Simmons’ defense is a very underrated part of his game, and only started getting recognition when he did a good job of slowing down Kawhi Leonard during the Playoffs.

Here is Ben Simmons stopping one of the more unguardable players in the league twice in the same sequence.

Simmons first deflects the pass, then when Harden pulls his famous step-back 3, it is blocked by Simmons. A play that is rarely stopped by the player defending Harden. Simmons stays focused and close to Harden, making it difficult for Harden to shoot over the his 6-foot-10 frame. Simmons defended Harden in 20 possessions last season — Harden went 0-for-4 from deep and made only one out of six field goals.

The sample size is small here with only 20 possessions, but let’s compare it to the two All-Defensive point guards who defended Harden last season:

Ben Simmons — 20 possessions, 1/6 FGM, 0/4 3PM

Jrue Holiday — 134 possessions, 12/39 FGM, 9/25 3PM

Eric Bledsoe — 73 possessions, 7/18 FGM, 2/5 3PM

Comparing Simmons to Holiday and Bledsoe, who are two amazing defenders, may not truly reflect Simmons’ excellent defense on Harden because of how small the sample size is. However, when watching Simmons defend Harden and keep him from scoring — even blocking his step-back 3 — it shows us what Simmons is capable of on defense.

What makes Simmons so great at defending Harden is Harden’s tendency to shoot around the perimeter and beyond. Simmons excels at defending on the perimeter. The opposing player shoots 29 percent from 3-point range when defended by Simmons. The average field goal percentage on those plays is 35.6 percent. That’s a difference of 6.6 percent. The same applies around the perimeter, where the offensive player shoots at 32.8 percent, instead of 36.7 percent, when defended by Simmons.

Here is an example of Simmons sticking to his present teammate Josh Richardson and then blocking the shot.

The second example shows Simmons closing in on Walker with his quick feet and then blocking the shot.

Simmons is fast enough and tall enough to give 3-point shooters a difficult time. His ability to keep up and stick with the offensive player around the perimeter is a skill that is very undervalued.

With Simmons ability of defending around the perimeter and 3-point line, does that now mean Simmons will be defending the opposing team’s best player? Usually that job went to Jimmy Butler, but against the Toronto Raptors, Simmons got the honors. Ben Simmons was Kawhi Leonard’s primary defender after Game 1, when Brown realized Butler couldn’t hold his own. Let’s compare Simmons when defending Leonard, against the rest of the team when defending Leonard:

Ben Simmons — 44/87 FGM (50.57 percent), 7/24 3PM (29.17 percent)

Rest of Team — 43/77 FGM (55.84 percent), 8/21 3PM (38.10 percent)

Leonard was pretty much unstoppable in that series, doing all of the heavy lifting for Toronto, but Simmons seemed to be the only one who could at least slow him down. Simmons did do a great job of defending Leonard behind the arc — five of the seven made 3s defended by Simmons came in Game 4 of the series. So in the other six games, Simmons held Kawhi to 2/18 from behind the arc.

Josh Richardson, another elite defender,  will probably defend the opposing team’s best player during the regular season. Brown will probably want to exert Simmons more on the offensive end during the regular season. During the playoffs, however, if Josh Richardson can’t hold his own, it wouldn’t be surprising if Ben Simmons takes the job. Simmons is taller and more versatile on defense than Josh Richardson is.

Simmons is also a pretty good interior defender. His height and strength is enough to keep up with opposing centers. The first clip is Simmons sticking to Myles Turner and blocking his shot despite Turner’s spin move.

The second clip is Simmons closing in on a wide open Drummond and getting the block on time.

Simmons has a great shot of making it to an All-Defense team if he gives 100 percent on the defensive end. Simmons has the height and speed to defend quick guards and big men, unlike Bledsoe and Holiday who struggle against big men. Simmons’ ability to switch onto anyone, defend around the perimeter and 3-point line, and defend in the paint is not something many players can do. Perhaps Lebron James in his Miami days comes to mind.

After the media finally gave recognition to Simmons’ defense against Leonard, this season people will pay more attention to Simmons on the defensive end. In a system where defense will surely come first. He has a real chance at All-Defense honors.