Ben Simmons has reportedly grown two inches; 76ers' Brown says 'No, he did not'
In the grand tradition of Philadelphia 76ers big men, 2016 No. 1 overall NBA Draft pick Ben Simmons missed the entirety of what would have been his rookie season with a broken right foot.
Simmons was expected to be a franchise-level player coming out of LSU, so the entire NBA community is eagerly anticipating his debut, which will (hopefully) come next season. But when Simmons takes the court for the first time, he'll reportedly be even taller than he was when he was drafted.
Former 76er World B. Free told CSN Philly’s Jon Johnson that he thinks Simmons, officially listed at 6-foot-10, has grown since Draft Day:
"It seems like Ben Simmons grew about another two inches since he’s been here. I told him that the other day, I said, 'Ben, you look like you’ve grown another two inches since you’ve been here.’ His arms are long, he’s lean, he’s in shape. When I watched him in practice -- just in practice -- he’s like a baby Magic Johnson. He’s practiced with LeBron -- he worked out with LeBron -- so LeBron’s probably going to beat him up and make him strong."
Jon Johnson later (presumably after breaking out a tape measure) confirmed Simmons’ height at ‘just under’ 7 feet.
Sixers coach Brett Brown, however, vehemently denies the rumors, saying that Simmons has not grown two inches.
So there are conflicting reports, but this could be some gamesmanship on the part of Brown. After all, if Simmons is actually 7-feet tall, it might be worth hiding that fact from other teams until they see it for themselves.
Simmons wouldn’t be the first player to add inches after coming into the league -- Kevin Durant, Kevin Garnett and probably some other players not named Kevin come to mind -- but it’s Simmons’ skill set which makes his new height so intriguing.
