2. Ben Simmons
The Fresh Prince signed his rookie contract extension this summer for five years, $170 million and the pressure has never been greater. Ben has the potential to be one of the best players in the NBA with his impressive size and unparalleled court vision, but the glaring weakness in his game is, and always has been, his jump shot.
I know everyone has seen the viral Instagram videos of Ben this summer knocking down three-pointers and looking like LeBron James’ doppelganger. The shooting form is still not pretty, but my philosophy is if the ball goes in the hoop, that is all that matters. Ben can granny shot a three-pointer for all I care, as long as it goes in. Obviously, these pickup games are not live action NBA games with top tier talent, but seeing Ben pull up for a jumper without any hesitation is an amazing sight.
It is more than an expectation that Ben will bring this consistent jump shot to his game this season; it is a requirement. The Sixers have locked down their roster for the foreseeable future, committing very large sums of money to Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris, Al Horford and Ben Simmons.
Even with the absurd contracts handed out in recent seasons in the NBA, $170 million is too much to pay any player if they cannot shoot the ball. I expect Ben to live up to the hype and become an Eastern Conference All-Star starter while leading the 76ers in assists and steals. He is the X-factor in determining how far the Sixers can go in the playoffs this upcoming season, with the ceiling being an NBA championship.