Isaac
Years ago

Yahoo: Why Ben Simmons isn't the top draft prospect

Some hard truths or just linkbait?

A few quotes from the article:

If Simmons cares so little about winning crucial college road games at Tennessee or Kentucky that could have delivered LSU to the NCAA tournament, how much will he consistently care about competing over a far more physically and mentally draining 82-game pro season? Truth be told, Simmons will almost assuredly be on a bad team that will need to fight every night to win games.
Teams are putting smaller players on Simmons, backing off him and daring him to shoot. Simmons seems to have zero confidence in his outside shot and becomes passive when guarded this way.
Those sentiments also have been expressed by members of the Australian national team who have spent time with him at the junior and senior levels. Australian players and coaches who have been around him don't speak about him in flattering terms, calling him "the Yank" to highlight how different he is compared with most of the players from that country, and perhaps highlight how much moving to the United States at a young age and immersing himself in the AAU world has shaped him.

Those who know him best say he needs things to revolve around him on and off the court and that he's often been close-minded to coaching or instruction.
Full article: Why Ben Simmons isn't the top prospect in the 2016 NBA draft

People speak of Yahoo's beef with LeBron's agency and note Simmons' association with it.

Topic #39150 | Report this topic


Zodiac  
Years ago

I've never liked his attitude and he wouldn't make my team for Rio.

Reply #582972 | Report this post


Duke Fan  
Years ago

As my user name suggests I may be a tad biased, but having watched a lot of games this season, Brandon Ingram is better now, will be better next year and better in 10 years. Simmons has a lot of ability but isn't a better player or prospect

Reply #582974 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

These types of things have been said about the kid for a while now. After hearing Bogut on the BS podcast its fairly obvious there is some truth in his bad attitude.

Very keen to see how his game translates into the space and shooting era of the NBA.

Reply #582975 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

OMG people no one say nuffink negative about Simmons or else u r just haterz. Be patriotic and pump him up no matter what. He is da bestest eva and will be better then Lebron. STFU haterzz. aussie aussie aussie!!!1

Reply #582976 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

^^ Well with those grammar skills it wouldn't surprise me if that was Ben Simmons himself!

Reply #582979 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

Top 5
Murray (76ers) would be my number 1 pick, then..
Hield (lakers)
Dunn (Suns)
Ingram (Boston)
Simmons (Minnesota)


Reply #582981 | Report this post


Aussiebballer  
Years ago

Can't see any team in the top 5 picking a 22yr old 6'4" SG, ie Hield

Top 5 at the moment would be
Simmons
Ingram
Bender
Dunn
Jaylen Brown


I could also see a GM falling in love with Skal Labissiere or Ivan Rabb and picking them early due to size and crazy attributes.

Reply #582987 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

The thing that shocks me is his supposed 1.8 GPA, US college classes are a joke if you just show up and somewhat pay attention you should be able to achieve a 3.0. If he isn't smart enough to understand that how can he comprehend the NBA?

Reply #582988 | Report this post


Aussiebballer  
Years ago

Draftexpress.com has moved Ingram to top spot and Simmons to 2nd.

I guess that is good if 76ers get the 1st pick :)

Reply #582989 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

Simmons would be better under coach brown than Scott. Scott is a terrible coach.

Celtics might be a nice fit for Simmons under Stevens.

Simmons at pf for the wolves with Wiggins at sf, Lavine at pg and towns at centre could be scarey.

Reply #582990 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

Portland seem to be going ok with picking 22yo 6'4 guards.

Reply #582992 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

Simmons needs to stay in college and take a course in humility and attitude adjustment, because until he finds these things no amount of talent will carry him to where he wants to go. Players will not want to have him on a team when he thinks he's the best there is , he's a very immature child, and it's not his fault totally it's his parents and the hype of those sucked into the Simmons fan club who have elevated him to a height his maturity cannot yet handle

No doubting the kid can play but he needs to "play nice" to get on in this world. And pandering to his ego is doing him no favours at all.

Reply #582993 | Report this post


ME (he/kangaroo)  
Years ago

It seems to always come back to 'attitude' and we have heard these stories for a while now. For instance, what right does he really have to feel snubbed for not making the 2014 Boomers team? I think it is questionable that he would make a meaningful contribution to the team right now, let a lone back then.

Going pro will probably be the best thing for him. Players 5 years older than him will put him in his place and he might learn a little about taming the ego.

Reply #582994 | Report this post


Aussiebballer  
Years ago

To be honest the USA and the NBA is all about ego so not sure that will help.

I just hope he goes to the right team, one that can help him use his confidence to improve himself and his game.
Boston and T-Wolves would be good.
But 76ers and the Lakers may not be good spots for him.

Reply #582996 | Report this post


Benno  
Years ago

I see this as a theres no good stories at the moment lets shake things up a bit and cause a stir so more people read our articles. Everyone knows Ben is going pick #1 and thats just it!

Reply #582997 | Report this post


Naph  
Years ago

Compare and contrast with his write-up at nbadraft.net

http://www.nbadraft.net/players/ben-simmons

"Highly unselfish, team oriented player ... A supreme competitor and a proven winner, having captured three national high school championships (in three seasons) ... Attitude/character is by all accounts one of his greatest assets, as he is praised by many for being "a better person than player"
...
"He is a hardworking kid with the type of weaknesses, namely shooting, that can be improved upon ... Well spoken, confident kid who apparently has no trouble being a vocal leader, strong communicator ... Level headed, mature kid who seems to battle through adversity with ease, does not lose his cool or get down when things get challenging"

Reply #582999 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

Think you will find the first is more accurate.

Reply #583003 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

I would take that article with a grain of salt draft express didn't rate Simmons even before all this started at the beginning of the season he was rated behind Skal Labissiere and in each game he was picked apart by this guy while Ingram who has also struggled at times wasn't even mentioned.

Reply #583006 | Report this post


AngusH  
Years ago

I still say the worst decision he made was choosing LSU over an NBA-factory like Kentucky. Imagine all the articles praising Simmons we'd be reading now, and all the highlights of him pushing the break and driving the Wildcats to the tourney, instead of playing in a listless, stagnant LSU offense for a year and having us read about how passive and uncaring Simmons is, and selfishly unselfish ala Rondo...

Simmons isn't entirely blameless, but his priority should've been preparing himself for the NBA instead of picking a school for family reasons.

Reply #583009 | Report this post


Dazz  
Years ago

So he's got this far without "coaching or instruction"? He must be bloody good then!

Those who know him best say he needs things to revolve around him on and off the court
FMD have these people BEEN to the USA?

calling him "the Yank" to highlight how different he is compared with most of the players from that country, and perhaps highlight how much moving to the United States at a young age and immersing himself in the AAU world has shaped him.
SO, he's just like 99.9% of all other NBA aspirants in America?
Yes, clearly he would have been better off staying in Australia, moving to Western Tasmania, and playing in the Mountainmen bush league.

I don't know much about Simmons, but the article is puerile and makes no sense, so I tend to discount its contents.

Reply #583017 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

ESPN's Insider - Chad Ford wrote the following about Simmons:
I thought this was a good read, that answer a few of questions.
(Sorry for the long post, I can't link the article).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
While Simmons' skills are obvious, it's difficult to get a read on his personality. He can be stoic to a fault, expressionless in the manner of Tim Duncan. Win or lose, good or bad, his smooth game and calm demeanor never really change much.

What is he thinking? Does he care? Why doesn't he play his heart out? Why not leave everything on the floor? Simmons has heard those questions in recent weeks, and he can expect to hear them again from the select few NBA general managers who get to interview him prior to the June 23 NBA draft.

And this too: How can we take you as our franchise savior when you couldn't lead LSU to a tournament bid? How can a team with the No. 1 pick, and several other top recruits, end up in the NIT? Was LSU just a pit stop on the way to the NBA?

In the past month, LSU's chemistry has disintegrated, and Simmons has appeared to contribute to the Tigers' demise with lackluster effort. There were already questions earlier in the season about his passive play, and the number of those questions has increased.

For the past three weeks, since Simmons was benched on Feb. 20 for academic underperformance, Simmons has seemed to be on the floor in body, but not in spirit.

His refusal to shoot jumpers, which seemed peculiar enough in November and December, now has scouts concerned; he passes up open looks regularly, instead making difficult passes to teammates. While his passing is terrific, at times he has seemed to choose style over substance. And while he often had foul trouble worries, his defense has been almost nonexistent at times.

There is tremendous pressure for a team with the No. 1 overall pick to get it right. Simmons has been under the microscope already, and by making NBA teams nervous about his effort and impact, he has ensured that the questions won't stop coming.

Redemption for Simmons?
What we're hearing now about Simmons should sound familiar.

Two years ago, many made the same observations about Andrew Wiggins during his freshman season at Kansas. After Wiggins scored just four points on 1-for-6 shooting in an embarrassing loss in the second round of the NCAA tournament, the chorus of doubters got even louder. Teams wondered whether he would play hard enough, work hard enough or be aggressive enough.

From the moment Wiggins got to the Minnesota Timberwolves, it was clear that the NBA game would be a better fit for him. Wiggins has won over most of the skeptics by taking the NBA Rookie of the Year award, and this season he's averaging better than 20 points per game as an NBA sophomore for the up-and-coming Wolves.

While Simmons is a very different type of player, many NBA scouts expect to see a similar evolution in his game. The expectation for many is that with a good coach and an opportunity to handle the ball, he could be spectacular -- a bigger, more athletic Draymond Green.

Said one scout to me last week about all the criticism Simmons is getting: "It's ridiculous. He's one of the most gifted players at his age that I have ever seen.
"Yeah, he's not a shooter. Yeah, he could be more animated. Yeah, he could do this more or this less. But I can say a lot more critical things about every other draft prospect in this draft, too.

"He's 19. He has the chance to be a triple-double machine. He's one of the best passing big men I've ever seen. He has holes in his game. But he's stuck on an immature team. He isn't used the right way. His team isn't very good. I'd get frustrated, too. He's going to be fine."

Will he? He could have helped us answer that question with a strong, dominating performance in the SEC tournament followed by a surprising LSU run in the NCAA tournament. Instead, he'll probably have to settle for redemption in individual workouts with teams. The size and skill are there for Simmons to be an NBA superstar. Is the heart? That's the question that will have to be answered.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Reply #583022 | Report this post


joshuapending  
Years ago

The best possible place for him and I speak with complete bias is Boston. The system is really good for his skills, he would have the best young coach in the NBA and they have the talent and assets to compete and grow in the years tom. How i hope the draft gods bless us for once.

Reply #583023 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

The media, beware of what you believe!

Reply #583025 | Report this post


PlaymakerMo  
Years ago

I'm with you, joshuapending. Also, if Simmons' attitude is an issue (which I don't necessarily buy to the extent commentators are suggesting) I expect at hat Stevens will have him buying in and at the very least playing hard on both ends.

If Boston doesn't end up with a top 2 pick, I hope they cash in on some of their assets and move up the draft board. Ingram or Simmons: you can't really go wrong with either, IMO.

Reply #583029 | Report this post


Beantown  
Years ago

Lets cross our fingers Josh! Would love it if he somehow ends up on Boston.

I tend to believe that the Yahoo story is overblown. Yeah, he's not perfect, but he still led his team to three straight national high-school titles.

He also averaged 19 pts @ 56%, 12 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and nearly a block a game. Those are ridiculous numbers. I don't think there is much to worry about, especially if he ends up being coached by Brad Stevens!

Reply #583037 | Report this post


Ricey  
Years ago

Simmons should just sign now with the Knicks and skip the draft. Get some better money and get personal coaching from Phil.

Reply #583039 | Report this post


anonymous  
Years ago

Interesting discussion on Mike and Mike last night suggesting that Simmons teammates alienated him the 2nd part of the season. Jealousy??? The kid is only 18/19 years old, he will mature sometime...He will be a great pickup for someone...

Reply #583045 | Report this post


Isaac  
Years ago

Doubt it would be jealousy. More likely a reaction to attitude?

I agree that Boston would be a great option for him under a solid coach, and wouldn't hurt if he's not demoralised on a losing roster as may have happened to Okafor in Philadelphia.

Reply #583049 | Report this post


Todd  
Years ago

Haters are going to hate.

I do think that Simmions won't be great in the likes of Magic Johnson, Larry Bird etc. For me, he will end up a very good NBA player or an All Star.

As for people saying that he has bad attitude, what do you mean by that?

Remember Robert Parish, people kept on saying that he didn't care because of his unemotional face.

Simmions is hard working, passes to open the guy, sets screens, block outs and stayed within the LSU offense.

As for Simmions defense, his close outs and footwork is first class. As the season went on Simmions was less physcial due to LSU not having enough talls and Simmions rack up cheap fouls that won't be called in the NBA.

For me, the kid just needs to a solid pull up jump shot and he is un-guardable.

Reply #583066 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

"Remember Robert Parish, people kept on saying that he didn't care because of his unemotional face."

In regards to Simmons' lack of emotion I've concluded he is a Vulcan.

Reply #583156 | Report this post


Todd  
Years ago

http://www.perthnow.com.au/sport/us-sports/bill-simmons-says-ben-simmons-critics-can-f-off/news-story/7d28bc836bfe9945a53693476b63381d

Reply #583181 | Report this post


Duke Fan  
Years ago

http://www.foxsports.com.au/basketball/us-view-brandon-ingram-enhances-prospects-to-be-top-nba-draft-pick-ahead-of-ben-simmons-at-ncaa-tournament/news-story/70c1d2a35a7b9ab78168f293da4a9a69?from=public_rss

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