Philadelphia 76ers: Ben Simmons is better than Colin Sexton, Cavs fans

Do non-Philadelphia 76ers fans not know Ben Simmons is really, really good?

While scrolling the drudge of the internet, do you ever come across a take so unapologetically hot that you want to wipe your phone screen down with a wet nap?

I’m not talking your standard ‘Is Ben Simmons better than Joel Embiid?’ or even the increasingly tired ‘should the Eagles have kept Nick Foles over Carson Wentz? (more on that here)’. No, I’m talking about an absurd take so genuinely expressed without an ounce of cynicism that it genuinely takes you aback that someone was brave enough to share it with the world.

This, my friends, falls under that category.

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Now on the surface, this take isn’t too crazy. Trading Simmons for a young guard and a lottery pick has certainly been broached quite a few times by fans of the Warriors, Bulls, and even Spurs, and while those in the know know that the Philadelphia 76ers aren’t going to trade either Simmons or Embiid this year, some still feel that you have to build around one or the other. If that’s the case, why not suggest that your favorite team steal away a potential superstar while his value is at a relatively low point? It makes sense, right?

But then you scroll just the littlest bit further into the comment section of the OP and that’s where things really start to fall apart.

First and foremost, I’m all for homerism, believe me, I get overvaluing players because of the jersey they wear, and I even understand the unique brand of anti-homerism that seemingly only exists in Philadelphia, but what I don’t get at all is suggesting with a straight face that Collin Sexton is actually straight-up better than Ben Simmons.

That’s… well, that’s a lot.

Now right from the jump, I want to get this out of the way: Collin Sexton is a really good basketball player.

I liked his game immensely coming out of Alabama in the 2018 NBA Draft and believe wholeheartedly that he could be a 20-plus point scorer in the Eastern Conference for a very long time, but to say that he’s better than Simmons? That’s just hard to do convincingly.

Could Sexton maybe make an All-Star game at some point down the line? Sure, but it’s hard to imagine that happening anytime soon. Even in the East, there are half a dozen guards who are virtually guaranteed to make the game next season, with players like Bradley Beal and Zach LaVine nipping at the heals of aging vets like Kyle Lowry. Whether designated a point or a shooting guard, Sexton’s chances will be hampered by his size, team’s record, and strength of schedule until Cleveland finds a way to return to the heights near-exclusively reserved for LeBron James in the “City of Champions”.

By contrast, Simmons has already made two All-Star games, in addition to a spot on the 2019-20 All-Defense team and the 2019-20 All-NBA team. Simmons also has the honor of being the NBA’s reigning steals champion for his 2.1 steals-per-game in 2019-20 and a well-deserved Rookie of the Year trophy rightfully awarded to the young Aussie over Donovan Mitchell.

Key word in that sentence? Young.

Despite already being locked into a supermax contract extension, Simmons only just turned 24 back in July and has to this point continued to get better in each passing season as a pro.

Sure, Sexton is, was, and will always be a better shooter from range, but mark my words, the day will come when Simmons too is averaging 20 points per game along with his 8.1 assists and 8.3 rebounds, and that will be a beautiful day.

Look, I’m all for throwing together mock trades that shade a little bit towards my favorite team; chances are you may have read one or more on this very blog. I’m even for being overly high on a hometown hero putting up big numbers on a baddish team. But by making the NBA’s third team this year, that’s the league signifying Ben Simmons is considered one of the top-15 players in the world today. Trading him for a one-way, 6-foot-1 combo guard is just not just compensation, even if a pick and Cedi Osman are included to sweeten the deal. Now, if the Cleveland Cavaliers were willing to move on from Collin Sexton on draft night, I’m pretty sure I know of a team who would love to add him as a third star, and their name rhymes with ‘Heavenly Picksers’.