It’s not going to be all of the thrust thrown at Ben Simmons. The 6-10 forward from LSU was seen by many as the best prospect in the draft and a player that the 76ers could not pass up on with his incredible court vision and ability to facilitate the ball on offense. “So I couldn’t say anything back”.
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It was a dream come true for the 19 year old.
Along with playing basketball, Simmons played rugby league and australian rules as a youngster. “It is a weight off my chest”. Simmons’ jump shot needs work, but the potential is there for the Sixers to get that franchise player they’ve suffered these past three years for. Each of the nine has been a first-round selection, including eight lottery picks. He was a three-time all-star before injuries cut his career short in 1981.
With No. 26 pick, the Sixers chose Furkan Korkmaz, who was teammates with Dario Saric for the past two seasons with Anadolu Efes in the Turkish BSL.
“Congratulations @BenSimmons25”, Iverson tweeted shortly after the selection. I know how he ticks.
That’s only fitting, since Simmons idolized Iverson growing up.
“I’ve learned a lot just being around LeBron”, Simmons said. “It was a big diamond-cut poster of him with the braids. I think overall it’s just one of those things that takes time”. I used to have cornrows when I was younger. The Blue Devils have had at least one player selected in 29 of the 36 NBA Drafts during the Krzyzewski Era.
“It’s awesome”, Simmons said.
Of course, trading away an Okafor or a Nerlens Noel would also assume that center Joel Embiid is going to be completely healthy and 100 percent to play next season.
Simmons added: “It feels wonderful, honestly”. Instead, Brown plans to use Simmons at a power forward spot.
During his brief tenure in Baton Rouge, Simmons averaged 19 points, 11 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game. He averaged 17.3 points and 6.8 rebounds in his lone season with Duke.
The 76ers are coached by Brett Brown, an American who guided the Australia Olympic squad to the 2012 London Olympic quarter-finals and took Australian league coach of the year honours in 1994 as he guided the North Melbourne Giants to a title.
Brown’s Sixers only won 10 games last season, but played at the sixth quickest pace in the league. In that year’s first round, 16 of the 18 players were born in the USA.
“There’s just something about the way Simmons has handled himself, or been handled by his camp, that gives me a little bit cause for pause”, Stu Jackson, the former coach, general manager and current analyst, told SI.com recently.
The Sixers accepted a together-we-build process that required poor basketball in exchange for a roster with talented players. “We feel like we can grow with it as a city and as an organization”. And I think we’ve got a bunch.
The easy part for the 76ers was drafting Ben Simmons first overall in the National Basketball Association draft. We’ll get the ink on paper as soon as possible. We’ve all worked really hard.
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“You put me in any situation”, he said defiantly, “and I’ll make the most of it”.
