Philadelphia 76ers: Who’s in contention for 2020 NBA awards?
Ben Simmons
IN CONTENTION FOR…
- Defensive Player of the Year
- All-NBA teams
- All-Defense teams
Ben Simmons spent this season listed at point guard and should be treated as such by the voting body. He occupies a weird space as someone who, at 6-foot-10, doesn’t really play like a guard. And yet, he’s probably one of the three or four best “point guards” in basketball, even when the position doesn’t fully take advantage of his skill set.
Making his second All-Star appearance this season, Simmons has entrenched himself as a perennial All-NBA contender. He has a real chance to appear on the second team, but if I were a betting man — I’m not, do not take this advice to Vegas — I’d put money on Simmons making the third team.
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The real surprise from Simmons this season was his defense. He elevated his performance from “really good” to “all-world.” He’s one of the few players in the league who can truly defend all five positions, and he does so regularly. He can smother quick-twitch guards at the point of attack, or he can man-handle bigger centers on the block. He’s lightning quick, and he’s LeBron-esque in his strength. A wholly unique athletic specimen.
Simmons was third in the league with 4.0 deflections per game this season. He gets his hands on everything, he’s permanently assigned to LeBrons and Kawhis of the world, and he crashes the defensive glass hard as a cherry on top.
I’m not sure Simmons will get Defensive Player of the Year this season — Giannis Antetokounmpo and Rudy Gobert are tentative favorites in that department — but as far as All-Defense is concerned, Simmons should be a first team lock.