Philadelphia 76ers: Ben Simmons, the All-Universe point forward

The Philadelphia 76ers have committed to unlocking the deepest depths of Ben Simmons’ skill set.

Ben Simmons has never been a point guard. He’s a 6-foot-10 battering ram — one of the most forceful and powerful athletes in the league. A truly singular blend of speed and strength. Sure, he has been the Philadelphia 76ers’ primary ball-handler. But a point guard? Nah.

Simmons has never been a power forward either. And while our tendency is to assign players to an antiquated set of positional labels, it’s important to view Simmons as a basketball player — not someone pigeonholed into a single position or role. That has always been the case.

Naturally, I’m here to tell you why Simmons playing exclusively at power forward in Orlando is a big deal — even if the actual change in “position” doesn’t matter. It’s the change in approach, mainly on Brett Brown’s part, that could revolutionize the Sixers’ offense.

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In a way, this is Brown’s commitment to a more traditional offense. Simmons will probably still lead the Sixers in touches. He will still have the ball in his hands a lot, both in transition and in the halfcourt. How he gets the ball, however, will change. And by extension, how he’s able to attack the defense.

Shake Milton at point guard should signal a move to more pick-and-rolls. Simmons is an immaculate screener, and more work as a screener will force defenses to recalibrate — especially with someone like Milton, who can hit pull-up jumpers and make the right passes.

Defenses have traditionally left Simmons to his own devices on the perimeter. Sit back 15 feet, compound Joel Embiid’s issues in the paint, and let Simmons hover harmlessly on the 3-point line. If Simmons starts actively screening and cutting, his defender can no longer treat him as a secondary threat. He becomes a primary point of concern.

If Simmons screens with his defender in the paint, the ball-handler will have a sea of open space to comfortably step into a jumper. If the defense comes out and switches, Simmons will probably have the size (and speed) advantage with momentum heading to the rim. It creates havoc Simmons otherwise cannot create.

It’s not as though placing Simmons off-ball will limit his playmaking opportunities. Think of him as Draymond Green on steroids — a heady playmaking forward who can get into the teeth of the defense and whip passes any which way. In the words of Brett Brown…

"“To always have Ben have to have the ball and dribble it up against five guys after made baskets especially… to do that I think dilutes some of his potent weapons, speed. And so watching him fly up the floor, watching Joel [Embiid] and him play off each other, has been a really good look. I think that they’ve been fantastic together.”"

This will simply vary the looks Philadelphia can throw at defenses, and in turn allow Simmons to maximize his offensive talents in ways he never could as a slow, prodding “point guard.” The Sixers will allow Simmons to sweep the entire floor. This will increase his dynamism, not cut into it.

The Sixers will simultaneously get more out of Simmons and improve the overall flow and function of the halfcourt offense. It will help Embiid get cleaner looks inside, and the mere presence of another ball-handler in Milton will help the Sixers penetrate previously impenetrable set defenses.

Brown said Simmons has bought in “like a star,” and the 23-year-old wunderkind said he’s comfortable in any role. He just makes plays. This change has been a long time coming. Philadelphia has stalled due to the lack of proven point guard talent on the roster, but with Milton coming into his own, this is the next step in Simmons’ career. His launching pad from “really stinkin’ good” to, in Brown’s own words, “all-universe.”

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