Philadelphia 76ers: Ben Simmons can become an elite power forward

Philadelphia 76ers power forward Ben Simmons is going to take some getting used to.

Ben Simmons has the potential to be one of the best players in Philadelphia 76ers‘ history.

He’s a fantastic facilitator, a two-time All-Star, and arguably the fastest player in the open court this side of De’Aaron Fox – and at 23-years-old he’s just going to get better and better with each passing season.

With that being said, Simmons was, is, and will never be the best point guard in the NBA.

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I know, I know, we’re talking semantics, as now, more than ever, the NBA is all about positionless basketball, but when Brett Brown announced that his team’s lone remaining first overall pick was exclusively practicing at power forward, as opposed his traditional point guard position, it made waves for a reason: Simmons is finally playing his natural NBA position.

Now according to Brown, the decision to play Simmons at the one was his, as the team didn’t have a ‘Damian Lillard’ on their roster and the 6-foot-10 college forward was arguably the team’s best passer right from the jump, but that statement was pretty quickly discredited. Simmons and Markelle Fultz made their NBA debuts on the very same day and let’s just say, the Philadelphia 76ers didn’t trade up to transition the former Washington combo guard into an exclusively off-ball role at the tender age of 19.

No, for whatever reason, Simmons really, really wanted to be the next Magic Johnson, despite pretty much everyone comparing him to LeBron James during the pre-draft process, and to his credit, he made some believers based solely on his supreme athleticism. Over his first 214 NBA games, Simmons averaged 16.4 points, eight assists, 8.7 rebounds, and 1.7 steals. He ran the floor effortlessly on fast breaks, had an advantage against pretty much any defender in the league in one way or another, and drove to the basket with an eye always planted on the wings for an open outlet pass.

But as more and more and more games passed, teams adjusted, and the Philadelphia 76ers’ roster slowly started to transition from one build around ball movement to outside shooting, and eventually, super-sized defenders, the cracks in Simmons game slowly started to become more and more obvious, with his half-court role diminishing as a result. Quickly Simmons found himself relegated to the dunker spot under the basket while everyone from Jimmy Butler to T.J. McConnell ran the show in his sted.

If the Sixers are going to win, the need to find an offense that works no matter what, not one that’s only effective when everything lines up perfectly.

And for that to happen, Simmons really needs to commit himself to not only playing power forward but truly embracing the position as his own.

Why? Because Ben Simmons could be the best power forward in the NBA if he wants to.

Is that a bold statement? Totally, especially with Giannis Antedekoumpo, Kevin Durant, and Anthony Davis all technically playing the position but it’s not unwarranted. Simmons is immensely talented, a wonderful player on the ball, and a near-peerless playmaker with the ball in either hand. Right now, without having officially even played the position as a full-time starter, Simmons is already what, the fifth-best power forward in the NBA? I’ll give you the players above, but you’re telling me a team like the Bulls, Blazers, Pistons, Hawks, or Pacers wouldn’t rather have Simmons than their current frontcourt four-man? Heck, you’d nary find an NBA GM who would rather Jayson Tatum or Pascal Siakam over the Fresh Prince if they are being honest.

And why wouldn’t they? There isn’t a player in the NBA how can match up with Simmons one-on-on, not even Antedekoumpo, who would face off against both Embiid and Horford when playing the Sixers. Simmons is arguably the best on-ball wing defender in the NBA, and while technically that isn’t a role typically assigned to power forwards, having a forward foil like Tobias Harris who can effectively play either role will still allow him to fill the role without having to fret. If anything, transitioning Simmons off the ball more often may actually make his defense better, as he won’t have to be as engaged for the entirety of the 35.7 minutes per game he is on the court on average.

If Simmons can find a reliable 3 point shot then really, all bets are off, but with his current critically flawed game, a transition off-the-ball could more frequently put him in a position to succeed and even benefit from some distribution of his own.

As any Sixers fan worth their salt will attest, it’s long been a dream to see Simmons paired up with a legitimate point guard who can get him the ball in opportune situations as a closer. Sure, watching Simmons drive to the basket 10-plus times a game is nice, but could you even imagine just how many ways he could impact the offense without the ball in his hands? I’m talking pick and rolls, moving screens, give-and-goes; the alley-oops, my goodness, think about the alley-oops.

By Simmons’ own admission, he’s a playmaker regardless of what position he’s technically listed at. Will some jest at the fact that Simmons willfully played out of position for the better part of his first three NBA seasons? Maybe so, but would you rather him continue to force a square peg into a round hole for the duration of his max contract? Switching positions now guarantees the Sixers their best shot of a long and fruitful playoff run, which, really, is all that matters.

Plus, it’s not like Simmons can’t still play point guard for the Sixers. Again, ‘positionless basketball’ is the NBA’s current trend and like how Horford would kick inside to the five when Embiid leaves the court, it’s just as likely that Brown could still employ some supersized packages where he puts the ball in his super-sized facilitator’s hands and allows him to run the show with four shooters flanking him on all sides.

Antedekoumpo still gets the occasional run at point guard despite fully transitioning to forward half a decade prior and it can be absolutely devastating depending on his opponent. If the Sixers were to face off against a particularly showy team, a team like, say, the Boston Celtics, Simmons’ ability to take over a game in the full court could still be the difference between a playoff exit or advancing to the subsequent round if utilized correctly.

Again, Simmons isn’t a bad point guard, he just has a much higher ceiling as a do-it-all point forward than as a singular on-ball guard who takes the ball up the court and initiates the offense at the top of the key every play.

Next. Shake Milton’s March changed Ben Simmons’ future. dark

Is Ben Simmons the best power forward in the NBA? No. Could he one day be the best power forward in the NBA? Well, that all depends on how much he wants it. When the Philadelphia 76ers drafted Simmons first overall in the 2016 NBA Draft, it was to be a generational player the likes of which only come along so often. Regardless of what position he’s technically playing, Simmons will continue to be among the best players the NBA has to offer, but by fully embracing the benefits playing both off and on-ball have to offer, his game could become unstoppable. Now, if only the Sixers didn’t just invest $109 million on a 33-year-old power forward instead of, say a combo guard who can partner up with Simmons for years to come, a player like Malcolm Brogdon, for example.