2. Ben Simmons’ defense
Many, myself included, have pounded the drum in favor of Ben Simmons’ All-Defense case this season. In fact, some believe he’s the Defensive Player of the Year, an argument that isn’t entirely farfetched (though it is bold). If your only experience with Simmons was Saturday night, however, you would think him a liability on that end.
Simmons garnered the T.J. Warren assignment. As you may or may not remember, Warren scored 53 points. If your initial instinct is “well, I’m sure those came when Ben wasn’t guarding him,” you’d be categorically wrong. In fact, Warren has his most fruitful stretches when guarded by Simmons.
T.J. Warren when Ben Simmons was his defender, per NBA dot com's matchup data: 9-10 from the field, 5-5 from three, 24 points.
— Rich Hofmann (@rich_hofmann) August 2, 2020
24 points. 9-for-10 shooting. 5-for-5 from 3-point range. Yikes.
Simmons was atypically unengaged in Saturday’s loss, getting beat constantly both on and off the ball. He gave up multiple backdoor cuts, he afforded Warren far too much space on the perimeter, and he looked half-asleep in a way Simmons rarely does.
We have become used to Simmons’ hyper-engaged, hyperactive presence on defense. He’s maybe the best on-ball wing defender in basketball, and he has five-position versatility unlike anyone else in the league. And yet, none of that was apparent on Saturday. He needs to return to form this evening. He will almost certainly draw the DeRozan assignment.
Here’s how the defensive matchups will probably shake out.
- Josh Richardson –> Dejounte Murray
- Shake Milton –> Derrick White
- Tobias Harris –> Lonnie Walker IV
- Ben Simmons –> DeMar DeRozan
- Joel Embiid –> Jakob Poeltl