[high floorParticipant]

I live just outside of Montverde, where Junior HS standout Ben Simmons plays, and let me tell you this guy has a very, very high upside. This site posted 2 great articles this week that are well worth the 2 minute read.

At 6’9 he has such a refined skill set. His vision and shooting ability garner the most compliments, but really it’s his work in the post hat stands out the most on both sides of the ball. Just remarkably advanced for his age. Playing in the National tournament against undefeated Weston Sagemont, Ben Simmons led Montverde Academy to an 18 point victory scoring 25 points, 16 rebounds, and 4 blocked shots. In the next game (the championship) against perennial powerhouse Oak Hill, he recorded 24 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 assists leading his team to a 9 point victory for back to back national titles. He’s reportedly committed to LSU.

Has anyone else had the chance to see him play? Is the hype machine running too fast for this kid or could we be witnessing the early work of a generational talent?

[redone1Participant]

 For me a player who is considered a generational talent has to have generational athleticism (i.e. Lebron) or amazing skills with very good athleticism and amazing size (i.e. Durant). Simmons is definately a great prospect in the 2015 class. Definately top 3 and perhaps #1 but he is not a generational talent. Great passer with a great bball IQ and a strong frame but at the NBA level (if he wants to play the 3 and not the 4 which seems to be what he wants to do) his athleticsim is a bit below average. 

He’s good for sure but I don’t see star potential for him. Still young though so we’ll see how he develops.

 

[redone1Participant]

 For me a player who is considered a generational talent has to have generational athleticism (i.e. Lebron) or amazing skills with very good athleticism and amazing size (i.e. Durant). Simmons is definately a great prospect in the 2015 class. Definately top 3 and perhaps #1 but he is not a generational talent. Great passer with a great bball IQ and a strong frame but at the NBA level (if he wants to play the 3 and not the 4 which seems to be what he wants to do) his athleticsim is a bit below average. 

He’s good for sure but I don’t see star potential for him. Still young though so we’ll see how he develops.

 

[Rip255]

Simmons is an unbelievable talent and simply has no weaknesses. He is the most versatile and skilled prospect since Lebron James and Kevin Durant, and that is not an over exaggeration.

He plays great defense, handles the ball like a guard and has a great perimeter game. He will be one of the best passing forwards in the league. He has an ultra high basketball IQ and is unselfish. He has great maturity and plays hard every possession. Like I said…no weaknesses. 

 

 

The thing that really stands out for me is that he is so smooth. He makes the game look easy and does more than just a little bit of everything And the post saying he has "below average" athleticism is ridiculous. I’ve seen him do between-the-legs dunks in person. The guy is a HS Junior. See how much explosiveness he gets after an NBA pre-season. 

Maybe "Generational Talent" is a bit much, but I’ve got no doubts we’ll be talking about him in the same way we talk about Melo and Jabari Parker (if not better). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[redone1Participant]

 I’m sorry but if you’re basing a players athleticism off of a between the legs dunk you simply don’t know how athleticism works in basketball. Most guys who are good athletes can dunk between there legs because they usaully do it on the way up. Heck I’ve seen BJ Mullens do it. Now BJ is a good athelete for a center I guess but if he is doing it then its not that impresive. When Vince Carter would do it back in the day he would already be in mid air and then he would go through his legs. Now that is impresive athleticism. Sorry but Ben Simmons is a below average NBA SF in terms of athletic prowress. He will be very very good in college but you need to have elite athleticism in the NBA to be a star and unfurtunately he does not.

[redone1Participant]

 I’m sorry but if you’re basing a players athleticism off of a between the legs dunk you simply don’t know how athleticism works in basketball. Most guys who are good athletes can dunk between there legs because they usaully do it on the way up. Heck I’ve seen BJ Mullens do it. Now BJ is a good athelete for a center I guess but if he is doing it then its not that impresive. When Vince Carter would do it back in the day he would already be in mid air and then he would go through his legs. Now that is impresive athleticism. Sorry but Ben Simmons is a below average NBA SF in terms of athletic prowress. He will be very very good in college but you need to have elite athleticism in the NBA to be a star and unfurtunately he does not.

[Rip255]

Simmons is an unbelievable talent and simply has no weaknesses. He is the most versatile and skilled prospect since Lebron James and Kevin Durant, and that is not an over exaggeration.

He plays great defense, handles the ball like a guard and has a great perimeter game. He will be one of the best passing forwards in the league. He has an ultra high basketball IQ and is unselfish. He has great maturity and plays hard every possession. Like I said…no weaknesses. 

 

 

The thing that really stands out for me is that he is so smooth. He makes the game look easy and does more than just a little bit of everything And the post saying he has "below average" athleticism is ridiculous. I’ve seen him do between-the-legs dunks in person. The guy is a HS Junior. See how much explosiveness he gets after an NBA pre-season. 

Maybe "Generational Talent" is a bit much, but I’ve got no doubts we’ll be talking about him in the same way we talk about Melo and Jabari Parker (if not better). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Rip255]

Here in Australia, we’ve known about Thon Maker, Dante Exum and Ben Simmons for a couple of years now. But there’s also another player called Jonah Bolden who is a freshman at UCLA and regarded just as highly.

This guy has had little to no exposure in the US but I expect him to shoot into the 2015 Lottery. Think Nic Batum/Greek Freak type of SF.

 

 

 

  

[Rip255]

Here in Australia, we’ve known about Thon Maker, Dante Exum and Ben Simmons for a couple of years now. But there’s also another player called Jonah Bolden who is a freshman at UCLA and regarded just as highly.

This guy has had little to no exposure in the US but I expect him to shoot into the 2015 Lottery. Think Nic Batum/Greek Freak type of SF.

 

 

 

  

[R.JLewisParticipant]

 he can just flat out ball….. hes one of those unique talents that doesnt need top score to make his team better.

 

 

[R.JLewisParticipant]

 he can just flat out ball….. hes one of those unique talents that doesnt need top score to make his team better.

 

 

[The8thDeadlySinParticipant]

 Theyre saying he will be 6’10 before he steps on the college floor.  I love him as a PF in college and maybe the pros.  If he thinks he needs to be a SF, it will make his road to the NBA tough.  Needs to take his senior year to learn to be a PF.  Develop a post game that extend beyond a drop step, and get stronger. He is a good athlete but not on Blake Griffin’s level.

He could be a unique player if he commits to being a PF but that seems so out of style today.  Guys want to be Lebron.  Simmons is nice but he is no Lebron.. His prime could look a lot like Amare’s prime Orr very similar to Griffin.

[The8thDeadlySinParticipant]

 Theyre saying he will be 6’10 before he steps on the college floor.  I love him as a PF in college and maybe the pros.  If he thinks he needs to be a SF, it will make his road to the NBA tough.  Needs to take his senior year to learn to be a PF.  Develop a post game that extend beyond a drop step, and get stronger. He is a good athlete but not on Blake Griffin’s level.

He could be a unique player if he commits to being a PF but that seems so out of style today.  Guys want to be Lebron.  Simmons is nice but he is no Lebron.. His prime could look a lot like Amare’s prime Orr very similar to Griffin.

[FuzzmanParticipant]

Why do so many people make such a big deal of athleticism. Surely skill and basketball IQ are more important. Every year athleticism leads the experts to overhype a player coming through.  Simmons simply plays to win. He makes all his team mates better with his on court decision making…… I don’t want to declare him generational, but I can’t say athleticism will let him down either.

[FuzzmanParticipant]

Why do so many people make such a big deal of athleticism. Surely skill and basketball IQ are more important. Every year athleticism leads the experts to overhype a player coming through.  Simmons simply plays to win. He makes all his team mates better with his on court decision making…… I don’t want to declare him generational, but I can’t say athleticism will let him down either.

[Author]

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