Written By Alec Nathan at BleacherReports.com
LSU Tigers star Ben Simmons has long been heralded as the top prospect in college basketball, and he will forgo the remainder of his collegiate eligibility and declare for the 2016 NBA draft, according to ESPN.com’s Jeff Goodman.
“I’m making it official,” Simmons told Goodman on Sunday.
Simmons has withdrawn from LSU and will move to Phoenix until the draft, per Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv.
Based on the 2015-16 season that he put together, there’s hardly any reason to wonder why Simmons would declare following a single year in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
En route to earning SEC Freshman of the Year honors, the 19-year-old averaged 19.2 points, 11.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists and two steals per game as he solidified his place as the nation’s most complete prospect.
To that point, Simmons finished the season with six games of at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and five assists—three more than the next-closest player, per Sports-Reference.com.
Not only were Simmons’ numbers eye-popping when compared to his peers during the season, but they proved to be historically significant.
A scan of Sports-Reference.com’s statistical database shows Simmons became the first player since 1994-95 to average at least 15 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and two steals during the regular season.
“His playmaking ability is similar to Magic Johnson’s,” an NBA scout told Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman. “He’s a franchise guy; he’s going to be special. Whoever gets him is going to be very happy. There won’t be any regret on that pick.”
However, Simmons is hardly a perfect prospect.
While his ability to gash opponents in transition was evident all year long, Simmons was hesitant to hoist jumpers inside or outside the arc.
According to Hoop-Math.com, during the regular season, Simmons shot 32.9 percent on two-point jumpers, a figure that paled in comparison to his conversion rate of 75.2 percent at the rim. The Australian native also attempted a grand total of three shots from three-point range—including one make—during the regular season.
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