Written by Ryan Palencer at The Comeback
Ben Simmons was awarded the title of the second coming before logging any minutes of college basketball. He was anointed as the top pick in the 2016 NBA Draft before completing his first dribble at LSU. Simmons is this year’s “it guy” for the top freshman in the country…and he has done nothing at all to disappoint. In fact, he has built up his legend.
Simmons is doing things that have not even been approached in college basketball for a few decades. The stat lines he accumulates on a nightly basis, as incredible as they are, don’t even tell the whole story.
Simmons has the size of Kevin Durant, the smooth passing skills of Magic Johnson, and the ability to hit the board with athleticism of Ralph Sampson. Simmons, similar to Johnson, has the ability to play every position on the floor and not lose a step.
Through nine games in his college career, Simmons is more than just a star on paper, but the raw numbers are imposing enough in their own right: His line is 19.9 points, 14.9 rebounds, 6 assists, 2.4 steals, 1.6 blocks, and three ESPN highlights per night. Beyond those numbers and data points, however, Simmons has the look of a generational talent that was ready for the NBA two years ago.
There are a couple of knocks on Simmons, believe it or not. Last week, with the game on the line against Marquette in the final seconds, Simmons unselfishly passed to a teammate, and the Tigers lost. Willing to share and finding the open teammate is all well and good, but you need THAT guy to have a killer instinct. Simmons got drilled by critics (albeit in a much softer tone) the way LeBron James was early in his career. Passing was seen as unacceptable, in many cases a sign of an unwillingness to take the big shot.
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